Sex, Music and Lies
by Jurojin
Summary: She was dating one of the most popular musicians to come about in the past 10 years. Any woman would kill to trade places with her. If only she wasn't in love with his brother. - Tony/Michelle - AU
1. Chapter 1

_New story!_

This part is PG. But it will have NC-17 parts to be sure.

Another AU

Since this story will have lots of music in it, I'll try and add info to the music involved.

_The song at the end that Tony is playing is 3 Libras from A Perfect Circle.  
_

* * *

It had all happened so fast

It had all happened so fast. One minute she was living a perfectly normal life, the next she was swept up into a whirlwind of excitement, fame and fortune.

Michelle Dessler had always been a fairly level headed kind of woman. She'd always loved music, ever since she was little. She'd studied it on her own and in school as much as she could. She was brought up in a well to do household and they encouraged her. She was attracted to the cello and the piano, much to her family's delight. She attended Julliard right after high school choosing not to wait for any vacation. She always knew exactly what she wanted to do; play with a professional orchestra. She'd achieved that goal by the age of 26.

And then 3 years later she accepted a proposal that had changed her life forever.

She had met him while shopping for a book on Spanish. He had been looking for a book on German. It was an odd coincidence; one that led to her having coffee and then dinner with him. It wasn't like her at all, to meet a stranger and just suddenly "date" him. But there was something about Carlos Almeida that drew her in so she gave him the benefit of the doubt. She learned he was in a band, a very successful band since he wanted a book on German for their upcoming tour. It was a rock band and she wasn't familiar with that type of music. He told her he found it refreshing to find someone who didn't immediately faint at the sight of him. They had started seeing each other regularly after that. It had been six months into their relationship when he'd asked her the life changing question. He wanted her to go on tour with them. They were looking to introduce a new sound into their music and with her classical background, she would be perfect.

At first, she was thrilled. It sounded exciting and fun. Working at the Los Angeles Philharmonic was a life dream but it wasn't exactly a happening place. But after some thought, she wasn't sure it would be a good idea. They were having problems. Dating a rock star had not been what she was expecting. Carlos was not the same person from day to day. She had a feeling he had cheated on her, several times. But he had seemed so sincere when he asked. He wanted her with him and it would give them a chance to try and make it work. So, she had accepted.

And then she met him.

In the six months she'd been dating Carlos, he'd hardly ever spoken of his band mates. He always said he worked with them, why bring them up when they were together. She sensed a tension there but left it alone. She had no idea the brother he rarely spoke of was in the band with him. How could he work day to day with him and not bring him up? She learned quickly that the Almeida brothers did not get along. They basically tolerated each other.

Where Carlos was calm and collected with an air about him that screamed he was not showing all his cards, Tony was emotional and arrogant. Carlos was younger and didn't take well to being told what to do, especially by his older brother. Tony was the creative brains behind their band. They were popular because they were unique. No one was a "lead singer." They each had the ability to sing and they all had their own talents with multiple instruments. There were times Tony sang and Carlos played guitar and vice versa. But, it was easy to see to anyone who watched them together that Carlos was jealous of his brother. When Carlos sang and Tony played the guitar, all eyes were still on Tony. He was amazing.

Carlos was attractive to be sure. He had an easy way about him. He was the high school quarterback type. He had slightly curly hair and light brown eyes with a smile any salesman would kill for. But Tony, he was the dark horse mothers warn daughters about. Carlos moved with a comfortable gait, like he would get anything he asked for. Tony moved with an arrogance that told you he wouldn't need to ask for what he wanted, he would just take it. Tony had extremely short dark hair and dark brown eyes. The eyes were what she noticed first. He looked so lost, almost desperate. He was looking for something he never could find. If Carlos was the quarterback, Tony was the kid in black that sat in the back just watching and waiting.

They were playing a cover of "Comfortably Numb" when she first saw them. They were damn good and she was surprised she hadn't heard them before. Carlos was entertaining to watch. He had a good stage presence and kept the crowd engaged. But it was Tony she couldn't stop watching. He wasn't just playing; he was encompassing the music they made. He was beautiful and he made the guitar sing. She instantly felt a connection with him. He understood. He had the same look on his face that she did when she played. They were more than the instrument, more than the music.

She had been on the tour with them about 2 months when she found out Tony was dating a woman named Nina Myers. She was a model and wasn't able to be around much. Not that it looked like he missed her. The only exposure she'd had to Nina Myers so far were the few songs he'd written about her and they weren't love songs. Things had been relatively quiet. She hadn't had time to talk to Carlos much. Actually, he seemed to not even care she was there. She did her consulting with them and then was sent on her way back to her hotel room. That was fine with her. She was starting to believe she had made a huge mistake.

And that brings her to where she is now, sitting alone in the hotel bar watching Tony play an acoustic version of "3 Libras." He hadn't seen her come in. She'd watched as he asked the cleaning staff to leave him. He'd poured himself a drink, sat down on the edge of the small stage and started to play anything that seemed to come to him.

Michelle watched his fingers move across the guitar gracefully. She didn't know what she was going to do. She was dating one of the most popular musicians to come about in the past 10 years. Any woman would kill to trade places with her.

If only she wasn't in love with his brother.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ok, I guess I should have put this at the beginning of the first chapter. Since this story contains a lot of music I need to make it more clear when songs have a "meaning" to the story. I won't put the lyrics to every song in the chapters since every song doesn't have a deeper purpose. In the first chapter, Tony was playing "3 Libras." Since for that chapter it wasn't important to know the lyrics, I didn't post them. But, you will notice they are posted at the end of this chapter. This is how I'll do it from now on. I hope that isn't confusing._

This chapter was short but I felt it just had to end where it did.

* * *

"Ya know it's rude to not announce your entry into a room."

Tony watched her jump. He knew she had no idea he'd noticed her. She was trying her best to keep out of his sight, but he'd seen her sneak in.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to –"

"Sure ya did. Otherwise you wouldn't have stayed."

Michelle raised her eyebrow at him. So that's how he wants to be?

"In that case, I'll get out of your way. Sorry to have bothered you."

She turned to leave but his words stopped her. "What made you choose this?"

She turned back and walked closer to him. "Excuse me?"

"Ya heard me. You aren't exactly the type for this kind of life."

"The type? Exactly what "type" would that be?" She had lifted her hands to her hips.

Tony admired her standoffish demeanor. He really hadn't meant to offend her, but now that he had, he might as well run with it. She intrigued him; ever since he met her.

Carlos had mentioned he was seeing someone but hadn't elaborated on it. They didn't exactly talk much besides work. He was intrigued to know the woman who would brave dating his little brother. Carlos wasn't exactly gentleman material. Not that he was either. Not now anyway. Not after _her_.

But there was something about this woman. Not since Rachel had he had this kind of feeling around a woman. It both scared and intrigued him.

"All I meant, was you are classically trained. Why would you choose to go on tour with a bunch of punks?" He continued to pick at his guitar, chords popping mindlessly here and there.

She sat on one of the small tables in front of the stage. Looking down, she played with a ring while gathering her response.

"I think I just needed a change. It was a life long dream of mine to play in a professional symphony. I guess, once I achieved that, I hadn't planned on what to do for the rest of my life." She gave a small smile. She was finding it hard to continue looking into his eyes. They were so dark. It felt like he was peeling her away layer by layer.

He grinned widely at her and Michelle forgot to breathe for a second.

"Well if you wanted excitement, this is where to get it." He played a few chords on his guitar. "Have you ever heard of Jean-Yves Thibaudet?"

Michelle gasped slightly in shock. "You know Thibaudet? You don't seem like the type—"

He gave her a look that was teasing. "Why Ms. Dessler, what type would that be?" He raised at eyebrow back at her.

"Ok, I deserved that. I shouldn't have gotten upset with you. I was snooping after all." She smiled again.

He took in the glow of her face. God she was breathtaking. It was this thought that reminded him of who he was and what he'd done. Stopping the playful mood he was in instantly. Michelle watched confused as a hard look came over his face.

"I have a song I'll need your help on. It's the first one I want to have a new sound. Would you mind getting together tomorrow after rehearsal?"

She was taken aback by the abrupt change in the conversation as well as his demeanor. Clearly their talk was over. Had she done something wrong?

"Su-sure. That's fine. Carlos wants me at the rehearsal tomorrow anyway so I'll be here."

"Alright thanks."

He didn't want her to go. She was calming. But it was a dangerous road for him to go down.

She turned to make her way out of the room but stopped, her hand resting on the outside of the door frame.

"Mr. Almeida?"

He looked up at her from his guitar. "Tony please. Too many Almeidas around here."

She blushed slightly and a smile came back to her face. His heart started beating faster.

"That song you were playing before. It was beautiful."

"Thank you Ms. Dessler."

She smiled again and was gone.

He looked back down at his guitar and started strumming lightly.

"It was for you..."

* * *

**3 Libras**

_Threw you the obvious  
And you flew with it on your back  
A name in your recollection  
Down among a million same_

_Difficult not to feel a little bit  
Disappointed and passed over  
When I look right through,  
See you naked but oblivious_

_And you don't see me_

_But I threw you the obvious  
Just to see if there's more behind the  
Eyes of a fallen angel,  
Eyes of a tragedy_

_Here I am expecting just a little bit  
Too much from the wounded  
But I see, see through it all  
See through, see you_

_'Cause I threw you the obvious  
To see what occurs behind the  
Eyes of a fallen angel,  
Eyes of a tragedy_

_Oh well, oh well  
Apparently nothing,  
Apparently nothing at all_

_You don't, you don't  
You don't see me_

_You don't, you don't  
You don't see me_

_You don't, you don't  
You don't see me_

_You don't, you don't  
You don't see me_

_You don't see me_

_You don't, you don't  
You don't see me at all_


	3. Chapter 3

_Still PG for now._

_For those that want more detail on the songs used and links to the songs themselves you'll have to go to my LJ page since Fan Fiction . net sucks and doesn't let you link. The link for my LJ is in my profile._

* * *

Tony shut his hotel room door behind him as he finished buttoning up his shirt. They were in London and he had rehearsal in 10 minutes. He slipped the keycard into the back pocket of his jeans. He was still a little damp from his shower and the hallway was slightly chilly. The black silk of his shirt clung to his back and he pulled at the bottom of it idly. He told Carlos he would swing by and get Michelle on his way down. They needed her to sit in and see if she thought any of their usual content for the tour could be enhanced. It was just one of the reasons they'd brought her along.

_Unfortunately the other reason is she's dating my brother._

Tony scolded himself. He couldn't think about her. He _shouldn't_ think about her. She was his brother's and besides, his love was a curse. It was better for her and him if he just kept his distance.

Coming closer to her room he heard the faint sounds of music. He knocked quietly on her door and a faint "come in" came shortly after. The door was ajar and he pushed it open. The entire band was staying in full furnished suites that were more like apartments than hotel rooms. Michelle had asked to have her own instead of staying with Carlos.

Tony made his way through the living room towards the music. He came to the den and stopped in the doorway.

Michelle had her back to him, standing in front of the patio doors that led to the balcony. She was playing the violin. He knew the piece, _A Postcard to Henry Purcell_, from the musician they had spoken of the night before. She was…enchanting. She was wearing a black skirt that came just to her knees, flowing softly as she swayed with her playing. Her blouse was a deep red and cut to show off every beautiful curve she had. Her hands moved along the instrument with precision and grace. Each move she made was perfect. But what caught Tony off guard was her face. She had a look of euphoria he'd only seen a few times when he'd happen to catch himself playing near a mirror. It was like she was in a trance. Her curls ran down her back and soaked up the light coming in from the patio. She was stunning and he had to remind himself to breathe.

He didn't know what made him do it, but he moved closer to her. He just wanted to be near her; to try and soak up as much of her as possible. Whatever it was about her that made him crave every fiber of her being. He was slowly falling into a hole he'd never be able to crawl out of.

He stopped just inches from her back as she drew the bow over the last chord of the song. She must have felt his presence because she spun quickly and drew in a quick breath, startled.

"Oh my God…you scared me." She held the violin and bow in one hand and swept her other quickly through her hair, pushing it behind an ear.

"I'm sorry Ms. Dessler. I didn't mean to scare you. You asked me to come in."

"I just…I thought you were Carlos. He said he'd come get me for the rehearsal. And please, call me Michelle."

"He was working on something, called and said I should come get ya. You play beautifully by the way...Michelle."

Michelle blushed and looked away. "Thank you. Our conversation last night inspired me to practice a little. Thibaudet is a favorite of mine." She had brought her violin up and started playing with the strings, trying to distract herself from his eyes.

He watched her fingers fiddle with the instrument nervously. A shiver went down his spine as he watched her blush deepen. She was just as attracted to him as he was to her. This was getting more dangerous by the second. But right now, he didn't care.

Tony reached out and touched her hand lightly. She froze in her movements and looked up at him.

"I'm glad I could be of some, inspiration, to you." He could feel himself leaning closer to her slowly.

Michelle had no idea what she was doing, but she leaned into him.

A loud knock from the front door caused them to step back suddenly.

"Michelle? You in here?" They could hear Carlos making his way towards them.

Tony turned and moved closer to the door. Carlos came around the corner and stopped when he saw him. "Dude, you're late. Something wrong?"

"Nah. She was just finishing up getting ready to go. I'll meet you guys down there."

Carlos looked at her curiously after he watched Tony leave. "Is everything ok? What took you guys so long?"

Michelle started putting up her violin and grabbed her notebook. "I was just practicing and he interrupted. Shouldn't we get downstairs?" She didn't wait for him and headed out of the apartment.

Carlos stood there for a second looking around the room. Why was he getting the feeling he had walked in on something he wasn't supposed to?

* * *

Michelle shifted again on the leather couch. She had sat through three songs so far and she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes off of Tony. She didn't know if he was doing it on purpose, but every song seemed to be a sensual play he was putting on for her. It wasn't just the words, but the beat of the songs were sexual and she was having a hard time concentrating. She was there to observe their music and add whatever classical elements she felt they could benefit from. So far all she had come up with was how sexy Tony looked in that black silk shirt. He looked so dangerous. Dark shirt, dark jeans and his overall dark look was distracting.

They finished up the song they were currently playing and paused for a quick sound adjustment. She felt the couch move with someone's weight and looked over to see Bill Buchanan take a seat next to her. Bill was their manager and was such a contrast to them. He was a business man type. She smiled at him. She was always glad to see Bill.

"How's it going Michelle? Anything you can do to help this rough band of degenerates? They need all the class they can get."

"I think I see a few areas they could add some strings, maybe some wind instruments. I'll have to sit and talk with them on the exact places. I don't want to change or tamper with the feeling they are trying to convey."

Bill looked over at the group as he spoke. "Then you just need to meet with Tony. No offense to the other guys, but Tony is the only one with any creative talent. They can all play a number of instruments, but he's the _artist_ of the group. Carlos couldn't write himself out of a death sentence." He chuckled at her. "How's it going with you guys?"

Michelle's smile faded a little and she looked over at her so called boyfriend. "It's ok."

"You don't sound very encouraging. Trouble in paradise?"

"Is that what this is? Paradise?" She snorted and he beamed at her.

"Well for some I guess it is." She watched him cut his eyes over at Tony. "For others it couldn't be further from the truth."

She looked down at her notebook. "Does Nina make him happy?"

Bill got a sad look on his face. "Not in the slightest."

They both looked up when the first cords of a song started to play. Unlike the others that were blatantly sexual, this one had an underlining hatred to it. Again, Tony was singing and playing the guitar.

_visually you're stimulating to my eyes  
your Cinderella syndrome's full of lies  
your insecurities are concealed by your pride  
pretty soon your ego will kill what's left inside_

Michelle looked over at Bill. He leaned over so she could hear him. "Nina."

She turned back and watched Tony continue. He was so sorrowfully beautiful. Why would he stay with someone who he obviously couldn't stand?

_just as beautiful as you are  
It's so pitiful what you are  
you should have seen this coming all along  
It's so pitiful what you are  
as beautiful as you are  
you should have seen this coming all along_

Bill leaned over to her again. "Have you met her yet?" Michelle shook her head. "It's a pleasure." He rolled his eyes. She smiled at him and turned back to Tony.

_you're everything that's so typical  
maybe you're alone for a reason, you're the reason_

They finished the song and set up for the next one. Michelle turned to Bill. "I know this isn't my business, but if he doesn't like her why does he stay with her?"

Bill sighed. "I really don't know. Loneliness?" Michelle gave him a look that told him she wasn't buying it. "It confuses me too."

They started the next song and this time, it was sad; deeply, painfully sad. Tony was sitting on a stool with a guitar in his lap. It started with a slow, echoing sound and he sang so softly but there accusation in his voice. The words made no personal sense to her, but she knew clear as day he was talking about himself. He was talking as if he had done something horrible and was forever asking for forgiveness. She blinked a few times to try and clear the wetness from her eyes.

Michelle looked over at Bill and he leaned her way. "Nina?" The look of confusion on her face would have been humorous had his answer not meant a story so tragic.

"No, not Nina. Rachel."

* * *

_Last song Tony was singing_

_The Noose by A Perfect Circle_

_So glad to see you well, overcome them  
Completely silent now  
With heaven's help  
You've cast your demons out  
And not to pull your halo down  
Around your neck and tug you off your cloud  
But I'm more than just a little curious  
How you're plannin' to go about makin' your amends  
To the dead  
To the dead_

_Recall the deeds as if they're all  
Someone else's  
Atrocious stories  
Now you stand reborn  
Before us all  
So glad to see you well_

_And not to pull your halo down  
Around your neck and tug you to the ground  
But I'm more than just a little curious  
How you're plannin' to go about makin' your amends  
To the dead  
To the dead_

_With your halo slippin' down  
Your halo slippin'  
Your halo slippin' down  
Your halo slippin' down_

_Your halo slippin' down  
(I'm more than just a little curious  
How you're plannin' to go about makin' your amends)_

_Your halo slippin' down  
Your halo's slippin' down to choke you now_


	4. Chapter 4

_Well, there are five songs in this story and I'm not gonna put the words to each of them here just because fan fiction dot net is too crappy to let people post links. So if you want to hear/know the songs that are in this chapter then just go to the live journal link from my profile page. Sorry, but it's work no one should have to do._

_Still PG for now._

* * *

The last three months had been the most enjoyable Michelle had had in a while. She'd met with Tony many times to talk over changes he wanted to incorporate and he'd listened intently to her ideas. She was happy to find out he actually cared about her opinion. Carlos seemed to just want her around as window dressing. She'd barely spent any time with him and when she stopped to think about it, she didn't really care. While Carlos had been off doing whatever, she'd been spending more time with Tony and other members of the band. She especially liked hanging out with Jack and Bill. Jack was the band's drummer. Michelle felt a kind of "big brother" vibe with him. He was soft spoken but very protective of her. She learned he had a daughter who was also a famous singer, albeit a new one. Bill, she was surprised to find out, also played the guitar. It seemed to be a ritual that Bill, Jack and Tony would go out to a local bar or club in whatever new town they were in and just jam for hours. She'd been invited the last time and loved it.

Michelle smiled to herself. She also couldn't deny that she'd enjoyed spending time with Tony. They had dinner a few times and she was falling further and further in love with him. Telling herself it was a bad idea wasn't helping. He seemed to enjoy her company just as much as she enjoyed his. There were still times when he would freeze up and become distant. She hadn't gotten any more information out of him about who Rachel was. She didn't feel right asking him about it and he offered nothing about the mysterious woman. Bill hadn't extended any help there either, saying it wasn't his place to explain. So, she hadn't pushed it and just enjoyed the time she spent with him. Carlos wasn't concerned with doing his own thing, why should she be? She effectively decided that should he bring the subject of "them" up she would tell him it was over. In the meantime, she would just have fun.

They had been in Spain a few days. Currently she was waiting for them to record the first song that would include the changes she had suggested. They had needed a violin and a cello. She couldn't play both so she'd suggested they call in her aunt Karen. She was a very accomplished violinist and could easily fill the spot they needed. Bill had arranged everything and now they were waiting for Tony and Carlos to arrive.

"I'm excited to see what this Tony looks like. I looked him up on the internet and if he looks anything close to what I found you'd best switch brothers."

"Karen!" Michelle blushed deeply and looked around making sure no one heard her.

"I'm sorry Michelle but if one brother doesn't give you what you need, you should get it from the one who will. Speaking of, Bill asked me to dinner." Karen gave her niece a wide smile. Michelle could do nothing but smile back. She liked Bill and if he could bring her aunt some happiness, who was she to say otherwise?

"Just be careful, ok?"

"I'd tell you the same but I think you need some danger in your life." Michelle's jaw dropped about the same time Carlos and Tony came through the door. Karen gave Tony a once over, winked at her niece and moved to her place as did Michelle.

As they were getting ready and setting up, Michelle was surprised to see Carlos go to the lead guitar and Tony sit at the piano. She had no idea he could play. She must have been staring because he looked up and smirked at her and then winked. She blushed and looked away, noticing Carlos watching her. She couldn't read the expression on his face but it wasn't happy. She looked down and set up her cello. She sat down and waited for her mark. She watched Karen and Bill exchange a look and smiled. She turned back to focus on Tony.

Tony nodded his head at her and Michelle started with the first chords of the song. Karen immediately picked up after her. She watched as Tony joined his voice with their playing and they were off. She'd heard them do the song before, but it was different then. It didn't have the piano and strings. Already Michelle could feel the intenseness of the song come out through the new sound. She watched as Tony fiercely sung the words. His voice went along perfect with the new additions and she could feel the goose bumps on her skin. She almost forgot her part while watching him play the piano interlude he'd written into the middle of the song. He was making it hard for her to concentrate when he wouldn't stop staring at her while he sung.

The last lines came to a close and softly everyone made their final contributions and then it went quiet.

"Ok we're good." Bill came out of the control room and started clapping. "That, was beautiful. What you guys added gave it a sound I don't think I've ever heard before. I've heard that song a million times and yet I felt like I'd heard it for the first time."

Michelle beamed at him. Carlos took off his guitar and set it down to the side. "It was alright. I just don't think it sounds like us."

Michelle's smile faded a bit. Tony didn't seem to share his brother's opinion. "Of course it doesn't sound like us. That's the point. We are popular because we don't conform. Musically, it's perfect. It's exactly how I wanted the song to sound when I made it, I just didn't know how to do it. Michelle helped me with that." He raised his hands to his hips, daring Carlos to say another word.

"Whatever man." Carlos threw his hands up in the air. "You done with me?" He directed his question at Bill, seeming to be done with Tony.

"Yeah, sure. We got it in one take thanks to these lovely ladies." He smiled over at Karen and Michelle.

"Call me if you need me." Carlos turned to make his way out the door.

"Carlos!" Michelle followed him out the door. He stopped and turned around, waiting for her to catch up. "Where are you going?"

"Out. I don't like sitting inside too long, you know that." He checked his watch, clearly annoyed she was keeping him from something.

Michelle sighed. Fine. Enough was enough. "We never spend any time together anymore. Do you even want me here?"

"Of course I do. I'm just busy Michelle. I told you it would be nothing but work all the time. Now, I've got to go. I'm meeting someone." He leaned over and kissed her cheek, smiling at her before turning and leaving.

Michelle watched him go and turned to go back inside, almost running into Tony.

"Is everything ok?" Tony was talking to her but his eyes stayed on his brother's back till he disappeared around the corner.

"Ok? No. But I'll be fine." He looked down at her as she made her way past him. She stopped and placed her hand on his arm. "Thanks for coming out though."

He smirked and turned to follow her back inside the studio. "We're going out tonight. We always go to the same place when we're in Spain. Call it heritage pride." He smiled at her and Michelle blushed. "I uh, I was wondering if you'd like to join us?"

"Of course. I love watching you guys."

"Chase is bringing Kim so at least you won't be the only female this time."

"How could I complain about being the only female when I get to go out with so many good looking guys?" She realized what she'd said and blushed deeper.

Tony's smile just grew bigger and he stepped closer to her bringing his hand up to play with one of her curls. "So you think I'm good lookin' huh?"

She smiled at him and Tony had never wanted to kiss someone so bad in his life. "What time are you picking me up?"

"Be downstairs at 8."

* * *

They'd stopped at a small restaurant on the way to the club. Unlike other countries they'd visited, people didn't seem to bother them when they went out here. Bill had mentioned Tony and Carlos's mother was from somewhere near here and they were well known. To these people, it was normal to see them walking the streets. It was refreshing actually. She wasn't used to all the attention and it got to be a bit much sometimes.

Michelle had a good time talking with Kim at dinner. She learned she was dating Chase Edmonds, the band's bass player. She also learned Kim thought of Tony as her brother. It radiated from her actually. She couldn't help but grin widely as Kim told her stories of Tony defending her from one bad boyfriend to the next.

"I don't know what I'd do without Tony. I mean, I have Chase now but Tony's just always been there."

"I guess living like this you can't help but get close. You guys are together practically 24/7."

"Exactly. You really do get to become a surrogate family. And well, after what happened to Rachel, we've all kinda…" Kim stopped there. "Anyway, the boys go all out when we are in Spain. Do you like Spanish music?"

Michelle hadn't asked her to continue and just let the subject change.

They finished up dinner and ended up at a small club a few blocks away from the hotel. Michelle watched as the man behind the bar came out and hugged them all, including her. The older man turned to Tony and pulled him in for a big hug, slapping him on the back.

"¡Anthony! ¡Tan bueno verle otra vez!" _(Anthony! So good to see you again!)_

"Usted también Alfonso. ¿La venda de la casa aquí?" _(You too Alfonso. The house band here?)_

"Por supuesto. Hey, quién es la nueva muchacha? ¿Es ella la suya?" _(Of course. Hey, who's the new girl? Is she yours?)_

Tony glanced over at Michelle then back to his friend. "Si soy afortunado." _(If I'm lucky.)_

Michelle and Kim made their way to a table at the front that Alfonso had cleared for them. Michelle looked around and noticed the place filling up fast. Word must have traveled.

"This place fills up quick once they find out Tony is here. I know you've seen him play before but it's nothing like what he does when he's here. I tell him he does roots rock when he's at Alfonso's. I'm gonna get us something to drink." She was up and gone before Michelle had a chance to say anything. She turned and watched them all set up. The house band was spread around the edges of the back of the stage. Bill had pulled a stool from the bar over and sat tuning his guitar. Chase was to Tony's left and Jack was lightly testing out the drum set. She focused on Tony and couldn't help but stare as he got ready to play. He was wearing dirty colored jeans that sat low on his hips with a white collared button up shirt. He had black boots on and what looked like black braces on his wrists. He pulled a shiny black guitar out of a case and slid it over his head, testing out the sound. Michelle had never wanted someone so bad in her life.

They had started to play by the time Kim came back with their drinks. Kim hadn't been joking when she said it was nothing like what she normally saw them play. So far they had done a number of Spanish folk songs and everyone was eating it up. The tables had been moved so people could dance and she and Kim had gone along with it. Michelle couldn't keep her eyes off Tony. He was amazing and unlike the big stage performances he seemed to actually be enjoying himself. She was sure she hadn't seen him smile this much. They finished what they were currently playing and everyone clapped. Someone brought out a microphone for Chase and they started the next one. The song was faster pace and had that certain Spanish beat that made her want to move. She wasn't the only one and the room came alive.

Tony started to sing and watched as Michelle and Kim started to dance. He knew exactly what he was doing. This may be something he'd always done before he'd met her, but tonight he was performing _for_ her. He couldn't help but watch her, singing to her directly whether she knew it or not.

Michelle watched Tony play and felt her pulse quicken and it wasn't from the dancing. They were making love without even touching. For the first time since she'd guessed he was attracted to her did she believe he would do something about it.

_Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,  
It was love from above, that could save me from hell.  
She had fire in her soul; it was easy to see  
How the devil himself could be pulled out of me._

Michelle watched him move as he sang and played. She'd never seen him so animated before.

"I think you've made an impression." Michelle turned to Kim as the younger woman kept clapping along with the song. "He's never this into it." Michelle turned back to the stage.

_Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place,  
You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces.  
She was spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes.  
No room left to move in between you and I.  
We forgot where we were, and we lost track of time,  
And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night_

She swore there was no one else in the room but them with the way he was looking at her. The song went on and finished, everyone clapping loudly. Chase started singing and took the lead on the next song, but that didn't stop Tony from watching her and singing to her when his parts came along. She laughed as he and Chase started playing off each other. They brought Bill into the mix and the chemistry between them all was better than what she'd seen of the original band.

_Every time I try to talk to you  
I get tongue-tied  
Turns out, everything I say to you  
Comes out wrong and never comes out right_

Michelle smiled and blushed as Tony winked at her after that line. They finished and Tony called Kim up to join them. Michelle was surprised to hear Kim. She was even better than what she'd been told by Jack. Michelle clapped along with the song and couldn't help but get amused as Kim toyed with Tony, giving him the come hither while singing to him.

_It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that  
It started with a kiss now we're up to bat  
A little bit of laughs, a little bit of pain  
I'm tellin' you my babe, its all in the game of love_

The house band was jamming right along with them and the entire place seemed to come alive when the trumpets broke in. Everyone started singing along with the song and Michelle watched as Tony's hands moved even faster than they had before on the solo. The song ended and a wave of cheers went up. They all bowed and left the stage, the house band taking over and going into another set. Bill came to her to let her know he was leaving. He was taking Karen out and needed to get back. She hugged him close and wished him luck.

Tony walked up to her as Alfonso joined the band on stage and started singing. She noticed other couples in the room starting to dance and watched as Chase and Kim laughed together and he twirled her around.

"Ya wanna dance?" Michelle smiled at him and nodded. He wrapped one arm around her waist and took her other hand in his. She knew of a few dances but nothing Latin. He started stepping back and forth and just told her to follow his lead. By the middle of the song they were both sweaty but laughing. As the song ended, Tony bent her over in a dip and suddenly the laughter had stopped. The noise around them was silent to her as he dropped his head to her neck and she felt him place his lips at the base of her throat. She closed her eyes and brought her hands up to his head as he pulled her back up.

Michelle breathed heavily from the dancing and the kiss. They both just stared at each other for a few seconds before Tony swooped in and kissed her on the lips, hard. He pulled her tightly to him and they both tried their best to devour each other. He slipped his tongue between her lips and Michelle moaned. She broke the kiss needing air and rested her head on his. He took her hand with his and brought it up between them, swaying back and forth to the music with her.

Kim smacked Chase on the shoulder and he turned to where she was looking. He snorted and she got a big grin on her face.

"I told you!"

* * *

Carlos splashed water on his face and reached for a towel. He felt hands wrap around his middle from behind and caress across his chest.

"What's wrong? You've been somewhere else ever since you got here."

"I think Michelle is cheating on me." He threw the towel at the corner of the bathroom and looked in the mirror at who had joined him.

"So what? You're cheating on her."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is, I think she's cheating on me with Tony."

Carlos watched his companion's face. She stopped moving her hands and a shocked look came over her face.

"I figured that would catch your attention."

He watched as she turned and left the room, slamming the door. He shouted from the other side of the door.

"I think we are both being played Nina."


	5. Chapter 5

_Well I tried putting in the links to the pictures and the music this time by being sneaky and I still couldn't do it. So, if you want to read this story the REAL way it's supposed to be, go to my LJ site. There's a link in my profile. Sorry, but fanfiction dot net is too paranoid for it's own good.  
_

_NC-17_

* * *

Carlos sat at the table eating his breakfast slowly. He was in his apartment in L.A. It'd been a few weeks since he hooked up with Nina in Spain. They were home to kick off their U.S. tour and would be back on the road again soon. He had a lot on his mind and the one thing he kept coming back to was Michelle. He didn't have any proof or any reason to believe it, but he didn't think she was being entirely honest with him. He smirked to himself. Of course he wasn't being honest either but what did she expect? He was famous. Did she really think he could settle for only her?

He took a bite of his toast and the smirk dropped from his face. He wouldn't settle for just her, but he didn't like the idea of her not settling for just him. He didn't like being made a fool. That had happened only once and ironically it was his brother's fault then too. He would _not_ go through what he went through with Rachel again.

He finished up his meal and stood to get ready. Tonight they were doing a tribute show to classic rock. It was all covers and pretty much just public relations shit. He hated doing this stuff but Bill insisted and Tony was all for it. And whatever Tony said was made law. Another flash of anger went through him, but then he got an idea. He smiled into his bathroom mirror and picked up his cell phone, dialing Nina's number.

* * *

Michelle was sure the past two weeks had never happened. She was curled up in her own bed for the first time in months and the grin on her face hadn't disappeared. Since the night he'd kissed her, Tony had made sure that smile had stayed firmly in place. He'd taken her out almost every night and they had become inseparable. They hadn't even done anything more than the occasional kiss, but she was happier than she'd been since coming on the road with them. Some nights they would go out and just sit and talk. He was so much different than his brother. Carlos was always more worried about his appearance than he was about anything else. It always felt like she was on some display when she went out with him. But with Tony, she felt like he was with _her_, not the other way around.

As much as they had talked, he still hadn't mentioned anything about Rachel. A few times she must have gotten close to something painful. He would instantly become defensive and change the subject. Sometimes he seemed so distant. She wanted to ask him about Nina also. She still hadn't seen the woman. In fact, she hadn't even had a chance to talk to Carlos yet either. As far as he knew, they were still together. Michelle sighed and rolled over, checking her bedside clock. It was 9 A.M. and she was still in bed. She closed her eyes and threw her arm across them, unwilling to move. How did everything get so complicated so quickly?

Her cell phone started ringing from the night table.

"'elo?"

"Are you still in bed?"

Michelle smiled again. _Dammit even when he wasn't here he was making her smile._

"I do believe we are on vacation Mr. Almeida. I am allowed to sleep in from time to time you know." _Since when did she become such a flirt?_

She swore she could hear him smiling on his end of the phone. "You are bought and paid for, _Ms. Dessler_. I can call ya anytime and cancel any and all vacation plans ya have."

Michelle snorted into the phone. "You make it sound like I have this grand social life. Trust me, you wouldn't be cancelling much."

"But I would be cancelling something? 'Cause that is the reason I'm calling. To cancel whatever plans you have. You will be spending the day with me, if ya want to." The note of playfulness in his voice made her breath catch a bit. She had no idea what was going on with them. Were they dating? She knew one thing, she wasn't passing up an opportunity to find out.

Michelle hummed into the phone, giving the fake impression of trying to decide.

Tony laughed. "Well if it's that hard to make up your mind…"

Michelle grinned. "I guess you've talked me into it. I just have to call my friend Kate. I was going to meet her for lunch."

"Bring her along."

"Are you sure? I don't think it will be a problem for me to postpone…"

"Yeah bring her with you. I have a photo shoot, a few public appearances and a tribute concert tonight. I won't be able to keep ya company through all of it."

"Oh. Well, ok. I'll call her."

"Alright I'll pick you guys up in about two hours, sound good?"

"Yeah that's fine….Tony?"

"Yeah?"

Michelle had paused. She had no idea what she wanted to say.

Tony was just as nervous on the other end of the phone, so he spoke for her. "I can't wait to see you Michelle."

The smooth, low tone of his voice made her shiver a little. She could barely hear herself when she responded back. "I can't wait to see you."

* * *

Two hours later found her and her friend Kate Warner standing outside the front of Michelle's building. Kate had been her best friend since they were little. Both attended the best music schools in L.A. and Kate also worked for the L.A. orchestra as an accomplished violinist.

"I'm looking forward to meeting this Almeida. Hopefully he's nicer than his brother." Kate rolled her eyes at Michelle. The first and only time she'd met Carlos, he'd been a tremendous ass. Kate was pretty sure she'd never heard anyone talk more about themselves.

"Don't worry, he is." Michelle blushed and Kate grinned at her.

"Oh really? Just how nice is he?"

"He's a damn good kisser. I'll tell you that." Kate just stared at her with her jaw hanging open.

"Michelle Dessler!"

"I'm sorry, it happened a few weeks ago. I didn't have time to call you and then suddenly we were back here."

Kate closed her mouth and just smirked. "Well you've just turned into a slut haven't you?"

Michelle stuck her nose in the air. "Yeah well I'm a rock star now, what did you expect?"

A long black car pulled up to the curb and stopped next to them. It was an older, classic model, shorter than most. They watched a tall man get out and make his way around the car. He was older, maybe mid 50s, with peppered hair and he spoke with a northern accent.

"Mr. Almeida would like to apologize for not accompanying you to the studio, but the shoot started earlier than he expected." He opened the door for them and tipped his hat. "I'm Jonathan. I have instructions to take you straight to Mr. Almeida. Please let me know if there is anything you need."

They settled into the back and started their way towards the studio.

"Well he definitely knows how to treat a lady." Kate looked around the inside of the car, running her hand over the expensive interior. "Explain to me again how you ended up with both of the Almeida brothers in the palm of your hand?"

Michelle didn't look at her as she thought about Carlos and how much it hurt that he'd just cast her aside. She thought about how much she loved Tony, but didn't know if anything would ever come of it. She thought about the heartache that would come from whatever choices she made, no matter what they were.

She snorted and looked out the window, a sarcastic tone in her voice. "I'm just lucky like that."

She didn't look like she felt lucky.

* * *

They arrived at the shoot and were greeted by a very snotty intern named Carrie. She led them around the offices and toward a wide open studio that had people going in and out constantly. The magazine was doing a cover on Tony himself, not the band. They could hear music and someone shouting instructions.

"I'm not sure how much they have left, but I do know they haven't shot the cover yet. That usually takes the longest." She led them to a set of couches that had a perfect view to everything going on in the room.

As she set her stuff down Michelle's curiosity got the best of her. "What cover is he shooting?"

Carrie just looked her over like she was some sort of bug, clearly appalled that they didn't know. "He's doing the cover of _Rolling Stone_. You do know you're guests of Anthony Almeida right?"

Kate just stood there, a little taken aback by her rudeness. Michelle on the other hand didn't seem phased. "Carrie was it?" She waited for the young woman to nod. "I do know that _we_ are Mr. Almeida's guests and not you."

Carrie just stared her down. Michelle never took her eyes off her. Finally she looked away, annoyed. "I'll let him know you're here."

Kate sat on the couch watching her leave. "Jesus, I didn't know you had it in you." They looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

Michelle wiped her eyes. "I didn't either, but I guess being on the road in so many places it toughened me up. We met some really rude people."

They both noticed Tony making his way to them. Kate elbowed Michelle, not so subtly. They both stood back up. Tony just grinned when he stopped in front of them.

"I see you made it. Any trouble on the way over?"

They both shook their heads but Kate spoke up. "Not on the way over, but Michelle did have to verbally bitch slap one of the interns." Michelle shot her a look that told her to shut it. Kate just grinned.

Tony's eyes crinkled in confusion. "Which one?"

Again before Michelle could stop her "The one that looks like a poodle."

Tony just started laughing while Michelle turned red. "You're talkin' bout Carrie. Don't pay her any attention. She's upset because I won't sleep with her."

Michelle looked shocked. "She wants to sleep with you? But you're old enough to be her father."

"That doesn't mean anything, I'm a rock star. I'm just another place on her sexual bingo card."

Michelle just looked up at him like he was insane. He smiled at her and took a few steps closer, coming a few breaths away. He reached up and played with one of her curls. "That's one of the things I like about you."

She blushed again looking away. "What? My ignorance?"

He leaned down bringing her curl to his face and breathing in deeply. "You're genuine."

Michelle struggled to not get teary eyed, reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek. He leaned in closer to steal a kiss but was stopped by Kate.

"Hello Mr. Almeida, it's nice to meet you. I'm Kate Warner, Michelle's _former_ best friend."

Michelle moved away before he could kiss her and introduced them. "Kate this is Tony Almeida. Tony this is Kate, who you won't have to put up with after today, believe me."

Kate just laughed as she shook his hand. She shot a look of approval to Michelle as Tony explained he'd have to get back.

"After this I have a few public appearances I have to do for promotions and public relations. I figure we could just enjoy whatever they have setup for me and tonight you both will be my guests at a VH1 honors concert. We're playing at the Echoplex. Just some covers of a few classic rock songs."

Carrie walked up behind them, looking even more irritated. "Mr. Almeida, they're ready for you."

Tony barely took his eyes off of Michelle. "Yeah, I'll be there in a second." He leaned over and kissed Michelle briefly, causing her to blush again.

"Time to earn that paycheck." He walked over to where a group of women were waiting.

To put it mildly, the photo shoot was torture. Michelle was sure it had to be illegal somewhere for a man to look that sexy. They had him dressed in a simple white button down shirt with dirty jeans and black boots. It wasn't exactly what he was wearing, but the way he wore it. He wasn't the body building type, but strength rolled off of him. He looked dangerous and basically good enough to eat. He didn't make it any easier on her either. He would take his instructions from the photographer with ease, keeping his eyes on Michelle the entire time.

Tony knew he was making her uncomfortable. But he also knew it wasn't a bad thing. He wanted her like he'd never wanted anything in his life. He remembered wanting Rachel, but it was nothing like this. He felt his sadness and anger try to claw its way to the surface but he pushed it back down. He knew what he'd done, but he could change all that, right? He didn't give a damn about Carlos. After Tony had married Rachel, he'd tried everything he could to fix his relationship with his brother but Carlos wouldn't have it. If they hadn't already been well on their way to becoming successful, Tony knew Carlos wouldn't have spoken to him again. Carlos would never forgive him for Rachel.

They were packing up their stuff to leave after Tony had finished shooting the cover image. Just when she thought he couldn't get any sexier, they shot that one. They added a black pinstriped blazer to his outfit and rolled his sleeves down leaving them unbuttoned. Michelle would be doing her best to hunt down every copy of the magazine in L.A. and buy them all.

He hadn't changed and approached them, seemingly ready to leave. "You ladies ready?"

"Oh, those are your clothes?" Michelle saw Kate bring her hand up to hide her smile. She wasn't being subtle and she knew it.

"Yeah they told me to just wear what I normally do. Why? There somethin' wrong with it?" He looked down at himself and ran his hand over the front of his shirt.

"No, nothings wrong. It's perfect." She smiled up at him and for the first time in a long time, Tony blushed.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by in a whirlwind of autographs and screaming fans. They went to a number of interviews and signings, all of which wore Michelle and Kate out. Tony on the other hand was always willing to stay for the last few fans and was gracious no matter how forceful some of them got. Jonathan pulled the car up to the front of Michelle's building.

Tony got out first and helped them both out onto the curb. "Jonathan will be back later to pick you both up for the concert. I'm sorry I can't pick you up myself but I have a sound check before we start." He reached out and wrapped an arm around Michelle's waist, pulling her in slowly. Kate smiled at them and moved closer to the building giving them a few moments alone.

Michelle rested a hand on his hip and lowered her head to his shoulder, breathing in deeply. He always smelled so good, spicy and something just uniquely Tony.

"I know you're busy Tony. You don't have to apologize every time you have to do your job."

He raised her eyes to meet his. "I'd rather stay here with you." Michelle searched his eyes, his face, looking for anything to tell her that what she was doing with this man was wrong. He moved closer and kissed her lightly, deepening the kiss after she let out a small groan.

She pushed on his chest, breaking the kiss and panting slightly. "We should stop."

He tried to pull her closer but she wouldn't allow it. "Come with me."

Michelle shook her head. "No, I shouldn't go with you and you know it."

Tony just looked at her and finally nodded, sneaking in and stealing another quick kiss before waving at Kate and ducking back into the car, but not before winking at her.

Jonathan pulled the car away from the curb and looked into the rearview mirror.

"You ok boss?"

Tony rubbed his forehead then scratched the side of his face. "She drives me crazy Jonathan."

"You be careful there. I haven't seen you this frazzled by a woman since Mrs. Almeida."

Tony glanced at his driver in the mirror. "I got news for ya, this is beyond what Rachel did to me."

"Well, I only got one thing ta say to that then."

"What's that?"

"If I was about 20 years younger I'd give ya one heck of a run for ya money."

* * *

Michelle let herself into her apartment. Kate had left to change and get ready for tonight, agreeing to meet back here in a few hours. She dropped her stuff onto the couch and headed to her bedroom. Making her way into the room while removing her jewelry, she noticed a box on her bed and stopped. The box was black with a deep purple bow donning the top. _Someone had been in her apartment?_

She approached the box warily and noticed a card on top. She pulled it out from under the bow and read it: "Wear me tonight."

Her nose crinkled in confusion and she bit her lip to keep from smiling. She pulled off the top of the box and moved the tissue paper aside, gasping at the present. Her hand ran over the smooth of the silk, a dark blue color. She pulled the dress out and it fell in waves, rippling like water.

Michelle smiled widely and made her way into the bathroom to get ready.

* * *

She had no idea what she was doing. Well really that was a lie. She knew she wanted to thank him for the dress. After they'd been picked up it was nothing but excitement and splendor. They'd met so many famous people it made her head spin. Tony hadn't been around before the performance and she'd only seen him onstage since after they had a private get together with the board from VH1. She hated that she missed seeing him. It didn't help that Carlos seemed unfazed by the fact that his brother had to invite his girlfriend to the event, otherwise she wouldn't even be there. It was extremely late and she'd had to call Bill to even find out where he lived. He'd told her Tony and Carlos had fought after the show and Tony had come straight home, which is where she was now trying to find the courage to knock.

He lived in the penthouse of a very expensive building on the north side of Hollywood. The large dark cherry double doors were very intimidating so she swallowed hard and brought her hand up, knocking a few times.

"It's open."

Michelle closed her eyes, breathed in and cracked the door open, only to be assaulted by music. She opened the door wider and walked in closing it behind her. The main foyer was spacious. She walked toward the sound of a piano and came into a large studio living room, glass windows lining the far wall giving a breathtaking view of the Hollywood hills. Tony didn't look up from his playing so he didn't notice her approach the piano timidly. His playing was beautiful. He was playing Thibaudet's _The Living Sculptures of Pemberly_. He was still wearing the same clothes from the photo shoot, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his hands moving swiftly across the keys. He stopped abruptly and whipped his head up at her. His eyes were red and she finally noticed a glass of something alcoholic sitting on the top of the piano on his far side. She had interrupted something.

"What're you doing here?"

There wasn't malice in his tone, it was more like defeat. A little confused by his reaction, she stammered. "I uh, I wanted to thank you for the dress. I didn't get a chance to talk to you at the concert. You were wonderful by the way." She smiled at him and his demeanor changed instantly.

Tony reached for his drink, downing the rest of it quickly and clanking the glass back down. "You're welcome. You do that dress justice by the way. Not the other way around." He watched her blush. "And ya can't really be wonderful playing a tribute show."

"I wasn't talking about the show. I meant just now, your playing." She looked away from his eyes, not able to hold his stare. "It was beautiful."

Tony slid more to the left of the bench and motioned to her. "Please, sit." She got over her shock at his request quickly and moved to sit beside him, their knees slightly touching. "Do you know _Dawn_ by Thibaudet?" She nodded and started the first chords of the song. He watched her hands move gracefully and closed his eyes, waiting for his cue. He joined her at the right moment and neither of them made a sound while they played.

The last note played and echoed through the penthouse. Tony opened his eyes and turned to her. She had already brought her eyes to him, watching him.

"Ya didn't come here to thank me for the dress."

Michelle barely spoke. "No."

Tony swooped in and kissed her fiercely. His kiss was hot, passionate and it took her breath away. She pushed against him, pulling out of the kiss. "We shouldn't do this."

Tony buried one hand in her hair and pulled her back to his lips. "No, we shouldn't."

He pulled her into his lap, a thigh on each side of his hips, her dress flowing over his legs as well as hers. He gripped her hair tighter, pulling her head back and running his lips up her neck, nipping at her jaw. She couldn't move out of his reach, so she finally just stopped trying.

Tony slid his hands under her thighs and stood, setting her down on top of the piano, his mouth never leaving hers. She clutched at his shoulders, feeling the hard length of his body crushing her to him.

He wrapped her legs just above his hips and began a grinding motion against her pelvis. His hands moved back to her thighs, this time to slowly move her dress upwards, sliding it out of his way. She gripped his back tighter, one hand sliding up onto his head to pull him deeper into their kiss. He started leaning forward, pushing her to lie down. Her shoulders, exposed from the dress, touched the cool top of the piano. He slid the dress up and off of her. She arched into his mouth as it dropped to just above the edge of her panties. He dipped his tongue into her belly button while moving his hands along her soft skin to her breasts, cupping them gently.

"Tony…"

He moved back to her lips, claiming them again, then moved to her ear.

"Don't fuck me like you fuck him." He leaned down and took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking hard before letting it slip from his lips. Michelle gasped sharply. "I want all of you. I want everything you have to give. Don't hold back from me."

Tony ran his hands around to her back, arching her up towards his mouth as he slid back down to her panties. He rested her weight back on her shoulders and removed her underwear. Every inch he touched came alive with screaming nerves.

His mouth clamped onto the side of her neck and he suckled hard, pulling a gasp from deep in her lungs. "God Tony…"

He lifted his lips long enough to growl a reply against her skin. "I've wanted you for so long."

Michelle felt the cool air of the room caress her bare legs as they hung along side his hips. His hot fingers started grazing the backs of her knees. He removed one hand from her and started slipping one button at a time from its mooring on his jeans, the two sides falling wide. She reached up and started unbuttoning his shirt, sliding her hands inside it over his shoulders trying to get it to fall with no luck. He lowered and latched onto another rosy tip causing her nails to scrape deep paths of ecstasy across the back of his neck. God she wanted to crawl under his clothing and absorb the immense amount of heat his skin was giving off.

Tony released a low rumbling noise of pleasure that vibrated through her skin. The sound was coming from deep in his chest, sending tingles along her breasts where he had continued his ministrations. She dug her nails into the back of his neck again when she felt him pull her hips closer to him, his cock making solid contact with her wet center. Their breathing sped up as his tip found her opening and slid deep inside. He leaned up and swallowed her gasp as he rocked, impaling her in one smooth stroke. Michelle could feel the cool metal of the buttons of his jeans scraping against her inner thighs. Tony's hands clutched at her ass, holding her up and into him as his rhythm increased in vigor.

Their encounter wasn't going to last long. Michelle could feel the pleasure already building; radiating from her soul, sending sparks to the tips of her fingers and toes. A constant stream of muffled moans, sighs, whimpers, and groans filled the air. Their lips stayed glued together, tongues twisting hotly around each other. She needed to feel him explode, needed to know she drove him just as crazy as he drove her. But he was holding back, unwilling to let himself come before she found completion. She felt the tense muscles under her hands; the harsh rasp of his breath in her mouth. Unwilling to wait any longer to feel him lose it, Michelle slid her mouth along his neck and firmly bit down.

Tony sucked in her keening cry as they both spiraled out of control. He felt her body pull him in deeper and deeper as he bathed her in warmth from the inside. He gradually slowed his thrusts, whimpering quietly between her lips. They were both sweaty and panting, drawing in as much air as they could.

Tony leaned over her on one hand and used his other to brush the wet curls of her hair out of her eyes. She ran her palms up his hot chest, never taking her eyes off the look on his face. No one had ever looked at her like that.

"I think we shouldn't do that a second time."

His face broke out into a large grin that melted her heart just a little more. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up from the piano, never withdrawing from her body. She squeaked at the sudden movement and wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling into his damp skin. He started walking towards the hallway that led to his bedroom.

"I don't think we should do that again either."


	6. Chapter 6

_NC-17 (Really, do I do much else?)_

* * *

_One month later…_

Michelle sighed and her eyes cracked open causing her to squint at the light from the window. She stretched slowly and finally noticed what had woken her up. She rolled over to her left side and scrunched the pillow under her head. Tony was sitting up in bed with the sheet covering his lower half, a guitar in his lap. He had a pad and pen on the bed and he was humming and lightly strumming from time to time, stopping to write something down. She just watched him for a few minutes, enjoying studying him in his element.

Michelle loved watching his muscles flex and lengthen as he played. Multiple questions she'd had for a while came to mind as she watched the scar on his back twist with his movements. It ran from his right shoulder down to his left side, the line itself lighter than his skin. Ignoring her curiosity for now she glanced back up at him. The look on his face as he concentrated made her bite her lip and smile. His tan skin was such a contrast to the white sheets of the hotel they were currently staying in. He stopped playing and wrote something down again. She moved her foot over and nudged him gently, bringing his eyes to hers. He raised one eyebrow at her and smiled.

"Looks like someone was playin' opossum."

"What are you writing down over there?" She teased.

He leaned over and placed the guitar on the floor along with the pen and pad of paper. He stretched out beside her and pulled her to his naked form, his skin hot to her touch. He was always so warm.

"Ya inspire me, what can I say?" He lowered his lips to hers and ran his hand down her side, tugging her closer to him.

She smiled against his lips, feeling him harden against her thigh. "I can feel how much I inspire you."

He moved his mouth to her chin then nudged her head back kissing down the front of her throat, gently grinding against her. "I can't help it, ya drive me crazy."

Michelle slid her hands up through his hair. She'd mentioned to him a while back how she wanted to see him with hair. She started to giggle softly.

Tony glanced up at her and smiled then went back to dragging his lips across her chest. "What're you laughin' at?"

"You're growing your hair out, for me." She moaned as his lips met her nipple, flicking his tongue across it quickly. He moved back up to her lips and kissed her deeply.

"I'd do anything for you." Michelle just looked into his eyes. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him. She wanted to tell him she'd never been so happy in her life. But she didn't.

She grabbed him and pulled him down to her, kissing him fiercely. Her legs opened to his weight and she felt him settle against her.

She couldn't say it, not yet. She held onto him with everything she had, trying to make him a part of her; trying to show him how she felt. They were gripping each other closely, their love making frantic.

"Now Tony…" Her breathing was heavy and she felt lightheaded. She felt his head shake under her hands.

"Not till I taste ya baby." He roughly grabbed under her right knee, lifting her leg to the side and opening her to his hungry mouth. He dropped his head and swiped his tongue up her core to her clit, sucking on it hard.

"God…Tony…" He slid his tongue in and out of her opening, groaning at how she felt and tasted. She tugged on his hair and he came back up to her lips sharing her flavor. He watched her eyes as he entered her quickly, sliding in deep and hard.

Her back arched into him and she breathed his name in a way that he swore he'd never tire of. He felt her nails drag lines down his back as he pounded into her, not caring about taking his time. He loved watching her. Her skin took on a rosy color and her hair spread out everywhere, sliding across the pillows and sheets. Her eyes would open and close slowly as if she were in some kind of haze and her mouth parted slightly trying to get as much air as she could.

Tony leaned his head back closing his eyes and just feeling her. She was meeting his thrusts and pulling him into her. His jaw went slack and he cracked his eyes open as he felt her tighten up on him.

"Shit…Michelle…" Her hands slid from his back to his ass, gripping him tightly. He stopped thrusting and pushed as deep inside her as he could, trapping her up against the headboard.

Michelle threw her head against the back of the bed and groaned loudly. "Yes….yes…Tony…"

He grunted and dropped his head to her shoulder. He pumped his hips lightly, still coming inside her. Tony squeezed his eyes tight, the wetness in them taking him by surprise. He could feel it. The walls he'd built up after Rachel died were cracking. Some of them had been torn down already and all by a small, utterly perfect curly headed woman.

He felt Michelle stroking his damp hair, not having any clue that anything was wrong. He breathed in as easily as he could, trying to keep his sobs to himself.

_Please God don't let me destroy her._

_

* * *

_Michelle sat on the plane idly glancing through a magazine. They were on their way to Chicago, Tony and Carlos's home town. The band's private jet was very nice with a full bar and private bedrooms for each of them. She stopped flipping pages at an article that caught her eye and began to read. Something whispered against her ear and she looked over at her seat companion. Carlos was grinning at her.

"Whatcha reading?"

He made it so difficult. She'd given him the benefit of the doubt and was trying to find a good time to explain to him that they needed to stop seeing each other. Ever since she'd started sleeping with Tony, Carlos had turned from asshole into prince. He'd been so nice every time she started to approach the subject with him she lost her nerve. He'd even been ok with her wanting to cool them down for the time being. She just couldn't sleep with both of them. That wasn't her. But, lying to one brother while sleeping with the other wasn't her either. Or so she'd thought.

She smiled back as easily as she could while closing the magazine quickly. "Just an article on a musician I like."

Carlos smirked at her and ran his hand up her inner arm, leaning closer so his lips grazed her ear when he spoke. "Who was it, some classical dead guy?" He chuffed at his joke and ran his nose down her neck, glancing behind them and watching Tony squirm in his seat. Carlos's grin only grew bigger.

"Something like that." Michelle shrugged him off as best she could. Carlos didn't seem to mind and kissed her cheek, speaking loud enough for Tony to hear. "You want to go watch a movie or something?"

That was the last thing she wanted to do. "Oh, no I think I'll go lay down."

Carlos didn't seem phased by her rejection at all. "Well ok then. I think I'll stay out here and work on some stuff." He leaned over and kissed her, deeply.

Michelle pulled out of the kiss as quickly as she could without seeming upset. She smiled slightly and leaned down to grab her purse, catching Tony's eye on her way back up. He was sitting in a seat a few feet behind them, a glass full of amber liquid in his hand. His eyes made her arms break out in goose bumps. She rushed past him quickly and into her room.

The only sound left behind her was the humming of the engines. Carlos turned to pick up his notebook and caught Tony's eye. He smirked and turned back around to start work.

To say Tony was furious was an understatement. He glared at the back of his little brother's head. He knew how Michelle wanted to play this and it was her call but damn it this was fucking killing him. He downed the rest of his drink quickly and got up, making his way to the back not caring how it looked.

Carlos just smiled and continued writing as he heard Michelle's door shut a second time. He glanced over and picked up the magazine she'd left in her seat. Flipping to the page she'd been interested in, it didn't surprise him to see a small picture of his brother looking back at him. He tossed the magazine on the table. _Let them fuck. I'll get what I want._

_

* * *

_Michelle splashed water on her face a second time, leaning against the counter and just thinking. She had to tell him soon. She couldn't keep this up. _God, how was she going to do this?_

"I can't keep doing this Michelle."

She jumped and swung towards the bathroom door, reaching for a towel. Wiping her face quickly she leaned against the bathroom counter and met his eyes. She'd seen him drinking and knew he did it when he was upset. In fact she knew he did it quite frequently but had slowed since they'd started dating. She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't particularly like it when he was glassy eyed.

"I know Tony and I'm sorry but, I just need a little more time."

He stalked closer to her and pushed her against the counter. "I don't care how much time ya need. I don't like watching him pawin' on ya."

Now she was mad. "Do you think _I_ like him groping me?"

Tony leaned in and brought his lips to her left ear. "I don't know. Maybe ya do."

She grabbed his hair and pulled him roughly to her lips, shutting him up. He groaned into her mouth and lifted her up by her thighs onto the bathroom counter. Sliding between her legs roughly, he pulled her hair breaking their kiss. He bit her neck and grabbed both sides of her blouse, pulling hard enough to pop it open.

Michelle didn't even notice. She struggled with his belt buckle and finally managed to get to his boxer briefs. Her fingers wiggled under the elastic band and pushed them lower on his hips giving her access to his cock. She stroked him roughly just as his mouth took in one of her nipples. He had pulled the cups of her bra down not even bothering to remove it. They were frantic and they showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Tony pulled at her jeans till they settled in a heap on her bathroom floor. He didn't even try removing her underwear, just pulled it to the side and let her guide him in. They both groaned as he went deep. Michelle ran her hands through his hair, pulling him back to her mouth. He had already started moving and it was harsh. He was angry and he was making a point.

"Who're you fuckin' Michelle?" They were both panting in each others faces, their lips not quite touching. She closed her eyes at his question and leaned her head back. She couldn't think when he was inside her.

Tony dropped his lips to her neck, snapping roughly at her with his words and his hips. "Say my name baby." He grabbed her under the knees and pulled her into him harder.

"Tony…yes…." She felt him nibble along her neck and she groaned, tightening around him and then gasping his name again as she came. He slowed his movements and dropped his head onto her shoulder. They were sweaty and sticky and neither wanted to be anywhere else.

Tony lifted his head and pushed some of her curls away from her eyes. He continued loving her, slower this time. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I…I didn't mean—"

"Tony don't. You don't have to apologize for anything." She pulled him closer resting her head against his and speaking softly. "This is my mess. I'll find a way to clean it up." He nodded slightly and captured her lips. She pulled him in closer by the hips encouraging him to move faster.

"I didn't hurt ya did I?" Tony looked down watching as he moved inside her. She was so wet; always so wet for no one but him. He had to stop letting Carlos get to him. She was _his_. She didn't have to prove anything to him.

He felt her hand against his cheek and looked back up at her. "You didn't hurt me." She pulled his head to her shoulder and ran her nails across the top of his back, feeling him shiver and his pace become more awkward. He was close and she wanted him there.

"I'm yours Tony." He raised his head. "Don't ever doubt that."

Her words seemed to push him over. He groaned her name quietly and kissed her harshly. He knew it. He loved this woman. He couldn't tell her, but he loved her.

She'd want nothing to do with him after he told her about Rachel.


	7. Chapter 7

_That's right, it's here. You aren't reading that wrong. Sorry updates for stories have been slow but unfortunately that will be the norm. I hope you guys like this one. It doesn't have some stuff I orignially thought it would. Call this the calm before the storm._

_If you want the links to the songs in this chapter, see my LJ page for this post._

_Errors are all mine._

_NC-17_

* * *

Michelle rubbed the towel over her head faster. She had more than enough time to get ready, but she didn't want to chance it. The T.V. pulled her eyes up by the loud applause coming from it.

_"Thank you."_ She smiled as she watched Tony walk over and take a seat at the piano that was on the stage. _"Our next choice is a song that most know, but isn't the most popular work from this particular band. Led Zepplin's 'Fool in the Rain' has always been a favorite of mine and well, it gives our drummer the chance to show off." _

Michelle grinned as Jack did a quick _ba-bum_ on the drums. The music started and she went back to rubbing conditioner in her hair. VH1 was replaying the tribute concert they had attended. Her cheeks heated up a bit, remembering what had happened _after _that concert.

They had been in Chicago for the last two weeks setting up for the start of the band's U.S tour. Tomorrow she would be joining them for the final setup and sound check. She'd be on stage this time for a few songs. Nervous doesn't even begin to describe how she felt about that, but she was going to do it. Tonight though, tonight he had promised it was just them. He was taking her to dinner and then to a Hispanic Heritage Award show. He was presenting and performing. To say she was excited was an understatement.

She finished messing with her hair and plopped down on her bed, pulling her laptop towards her. She glanced at the T.V. again and her stomach fluttered a bit. He was so damn sexy when he was performing. He showed a special part of himself when he was on stage and it drove her crazy. Kim had given her the idea to look up the band's older stuff on YouTube. She was interested in seeing what he looked like when he was younger. She smiled a little as she typed in the band's name and multiple hits came up.

She clicked on the first link and the video that loaded was marked as "Deny." Michelle reached up and covered the giggle that threatened to escape. He was so young! He had to be about 22 or 23. His hair was longer and curls were escaping everywhere as he enthusiastically sang. The video was in black and white and it made him that much more darker. Even that young he still looked dangerous. It was a typical video with everyday activities mixed in with scenes of the band together. He was walking down a street, following a woman. He sang in each setting doing nothing but continuously matching her route. Occasionally the woman would turn, like she knew someone was following her. Michelle studied her. She was very pretty. Her hair was long and blonde and she had crystal blue eyes.

_Well don't deny_

_The hand that feeds you needs you_

_Oh god I'd die to try to_

_Finally please you_

_There goes a piece of me_

_Will I cease to be_

_I've never lied to you_

_Fought bled and died for you_

The song was intense and she was a little fascinated by how strongly he sang. He was amazing to watch for sure, but the fact that he wrote everything they did was impressive. Apparently it was a gift. The video was coming to an end and as she moved the mouse pointer across the screen to select a new link she caught something strange. Squinting, she rewound the video a few seconds. Her eyes widened as she clearly saw what had caught her attention. There, on his left hand, the hand playing the neck of the guitar, was a ring.

A wedding ring.

* * *

Tony glanced over at Michelle for the third time since he'd picked her up. She was breathtaking. Gorgeous on any given day, but the dress she'd chosen for their date was made to show off every curve. It was a deep green and it brought out the brown of her eyes. She had her hair up with a few messy tendrils escaping. The moment she came into view he wanted to forget the dinner and the concert and just spend the evening showing her how many ways he'd thought of to remove her clothes in the split second it took her to open the door. If this night wasn't so special, he would have done just that. Especially considering her mind seemed to be elsewhere. She was looking out the limo window and her hands fidgeted in her lap. Tony reached over and placed a hand over both of hers.

"You alright? You've been antsy ever since I picked ya up."

Michelle turned toward him and her heart fluttered a bit. He had shown up at her door, ready to pick her up in black dress pants, black boots and a black blazer over a deep red dress shirt. The color of the shirt made his skin seem darker and she had no idea what cologne he was wearing but it was driving her crazy. Whatever it was was spicy and mixed perfectly with his own unique scent. Between him and what she'd found out earlier, she was having a hard time concentrating. She smiled at him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm fine. I'm just excited." Tony smiled back and lifted one of her hands to his mouth, running his lips over her knuckles. "How exactly will everything go?"

"After we eat we'll head over to the auditorium and that's when we'll have to separate. I'll stay backstage till after I perform and hand out the award then I can come join you in the audience."

"What if I want to surprise you back stage instead?" She leaned over and caught his ear between her teeth.

He groaned and smirked. "What? Ya mean like a groupie?"

She huffed and smacked him, leaning back into her place. "Well if you put it that way, nevermind."

He pulled her back quickly and kissed her hard. Startled at first, she eventually gave into the kiss and leaned into him. He broke for air and rested his head against hers.

"If you need to get to me, someone will help you find me."

* * *

"So have you, uh..." Tony scratched one cheek. "Have you talked to Carlos?"

Michelle stopped cutting her chicken and sighed. She took a few seconds and then went back to eating, timidly answering him. "Not yet. I'm sorry, I know it seems like I'm putting it off but we landed and jumped right into practice and sound checks and honestly I'm a little overwhelmed with all the preparation that goes into each of these shows."

Tony took a sip of his wine. "You'll do fine. It's the same as the symphony, just more...rowdy."

Michelle snorted. "Rowdy? That doesn't even begin to describe one of your shows Mr. Almeida." She fiercely took a bite of her chicken.

He reached across the table and touched her hand. "Trust me Ms. Dessler, you haven't seen one of our shows till you've seen us play Chicago."

She ran her fingers over his palm, back and forth. "Have you spoken to Nina?"

Tony drew his hand back slowly and picked up his fork, not meeting her eyes. "No and I don't plan to. She'll figure it out sooner or later."

"Tony you should at least tell her yourself."

"Why? Because it'll be easier for her to hear? She doesn't care what I do and frankly, I don't care what she does either. We didn't have that kind of relationship Michelle."

She watched him push his food around. She knew what kind of relationship they had. It was purely physical, at least on Nina's side. She knew Tony didn't love Nina but it was easy to see he had wanted some kind of affection from the woman. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She spoke low and he looked up at her and finally smirked slightly.

"You didn't upset me sweetheart. It's just better this way, trust me." He reached back for her hand and brought the back of it to his lips.

She smiled and nodded, her eyes glancing over his left hand ring finger.

* * *

"Ms. Dessler?"

Michelle turned at the sound of her name and came face to face with a small Hispanic older woman. The lady smiled up at Michelle and spoke with a slight accent. "Anthony sent me to help you to your seat."

"Oh, well thank you." She smiled at woman and followed her down the aisle to the very front of the theater. "Do you know Ton-Anthony?"

The old woman motioned for Michelle to step in front of her and take her seat. Michelle sat down and removed her coat. The woman smiled at her again. "I've known Anthony for a long time my dear. I hope you enjoy the show. If there's anything I can do, just ask for Maria."

"Thank you." Michelle watched her slowly make her way back up the aisle, stopping every now and then to greet people she apparently knew. The lights started to dim indicating the ceremony was about to start. With a look of confusion still on her face, she turned back to the stage.

* * *

Michelle finished clapping with the audience after the last award was handed out. They were about half way through and Tony had already presented. The emcee came back to center stage and took up the microphone again.

"Our next performance is by an artist I'm sure everyone here knows. While the sound he creates can be called Rock and Roll, his creativity can be called nothing but unique. Here to perform "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman," Chicago's very own Anthony Almeida."

The sound was deafening as the lights dropped. Michelle could barely make out the shadowy outline of a small band in the middle of the stage. One figure in particular stood out. She could just tell it was Tony. A few slow plucks of a guitar sounded and as they echoed the lights of the stage carefully illuminated the occupants. Michelle's breath caught in her throat. Tony was wearing the same clothes as before but he was sitting on a stool, one foot resting on a rung, his thigh helping to keep his guitar steady. His other foot was stretched out to the floor below. He had removed his jacket and the sleeves of his red shirt were rolled up. But what caused her breathing to speed up was the fact that he was looking directly at her.

_To really love a woman_

_To understand her - you gotta know her deep inside_

_Hear every thought - see every dream_

_N' give her wings - when she wants to fly_

_Then when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms_

_You know you really love a woman_

The band kicked in behind him and the Spanish undertones of the song joined his voice. She watched mesmerized as he spoke directly to her. He was doing it; taking that last step. He was telling her how he felt. She felt her eyes begin to water.

_To really love a woman_

_Let her hold you - _

_til ya know how she needs to be touched_

_You've gotta breathe her - really taste her_

_Til you can feel her in your blood_

_N' when you can see your unborn children in her eyes_

_You know you really love a woman_

She watched his hands slide gracefully up and down the guitar, watched him pour his love and lust for her into his performance. Her cheeks burned at the thought of so many people watching such an intimate moment between them, but she knew no one had a clue. No one but them. The only time his gaze dropped from her's was during the solo. The chords popped as he played and she felt herself shiver. A few tears had started to fall by the time the song came to its final few sultry words. He played the last teasing notes as the lights started to dim and everything went quiet and dark. And then the applause came.

Michelle didn't wait for it to die down. She made her way up the aisle and into the lobby as quickly as she could. She turned to the first usher she could find.

"I'm looking for Maria."

* * *

Neither of them had said a word in the past 20 minutes. She had met him backstage as he was finishing up the applause. He had been nervous. The look on his face cautious. She just pulled him to her and kissed him, turning her head and sliding her tongue over his hotly. He had pulled her close, eventually breaking the kiss to run his lips along her cheek. "Let's go."

Michelle watched as he opened the penthouse room of a hotel in the middle of downtown overlooking the water. The lock clicked and he pushed the door open, motioning for her to go ahead of him. She passed by him and walked to the middle of the living room. It was breathtaking. A wall of glass was all that separated them from the patio. The curtains were open and she could see the moon giving the only light in the room.

Tony set down his keys and removed his jacket, never taking his off of her. He walked up behind her and carefully wrapped one of her stray curls around his fingers. Michelle sighed, closing her eyes. He tugged gently at the ties that held her hair up, letting it fall down over his hands and across her back. He leaned closer to her, her hair tickling his nose and he breathed in as he closed his eyes. Michelle's breath caught as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into him. Tony dropped his head to the left and nudged her hair to the side, his lips finding her neck. Michelle whimpered and reached back, running her hand through his hair.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" His voice was rough and low, little puffs of sensation that traveled along her skin.

Michelle reached back with her other hand and found him already hard. She slowly ran her hand along the front of his pants. "Mmm, I might have some idea."

Tony growled low in his throat and tightened his grip on her, burrowing his face further in her hair. He started pressing her forward, moving her closer to the glass wall. Once she was close enough to touch it, he moved away from her and made her turn. He slid his hands into her hair, pulling her into a kiss. They took their time, and he moved his hands down to her waist again, pulling her dress up inch by inch. Michelle panted into his mouth. He stepped closer into her and she backed into the cool glass, causing her to shiver as her bare shoulders made contact. He pulled the dress up higher and she raised her arms, letting him pull it over her head. He dropped it beside them and brought his eyes back to her, just watching. She fought the urge to cover herself and jumped slightly when he finally reached out and ran one finger from the base of her throat down between her breasts and stopping just above her belly button.

"You have no idea how much I love you."

Michelle's breath hitched and she sought out his eyes, only to notice he was glancing down, unable to look at her. His eyes shifted from side to side when she didn't respond and he chanced a look up. She stepped away from the glass slightly when her eyes met his and she slid her hands up his chest, fisting handfuls of his shirt.

"I want you to show me."

Tony's breathing sped up significantly the instance she spoke. His eyes dropped to her lips and he slowly licked his own. He dipped his head and touched her lips as he reached up and unclasped her bra. His fingers whisked along her arms, taking the clothing with them. The bra made a soft shuffling sound as it hit the carpet and his hands then went to her sides, slipping his fingers in and out of the lace of her panties. He trailed his lips down to her breasts, taking each peak into his mouth and suckling shortly. Michelle tilted her head back against the glass and ran a hand into his hair as he moved lower. He tongued the edge of her panties as his hands skimmed the backs of her thighs, moving down to her ankles. He removed her heels and made a reverse journey back up her legs. On his knees now, he hooked his fingers under the edge of her underwear and tugged, removing them.

Michelle's other hand was flat against the glass and she gripped with her fingers, finding no purchase. It did, however, remind her that they were out in the open. They were very high up, but there were other buildings flanking this one. She gasped as Tony's tongue made a slow sweep between her folds.

"Tony...shouldn't we-"

"Let them look." He opened her to him and growled at her scent. He lifted on leg and set it over his shoulder. Breathing her in deep, he hummed and let his lips and tongue work her.

Michelle sighed and whimpered as he devoured her. Her body burned and the glass was becoming foggy, a steamy outline of her drew on the window. She looked down and their eyes met. She didn't know why, but it turned her on even more to watch him do this fully clothed. His shirt looked blood red in the light coming from the moon, his eyes and hair darker. He watched her watching him and his eyes sagged in arousal. He moved to her clit and sucked harder.

Her release caught her by surprise and she tightened her grip in his hair, moaning his name softly. He lowered her leg and stood back up, leaning in and kissing her, letting her taste herself on his tongue. Michelle didn't bother to control her breathing. She reached for his shirt and unbuttoned it, her hands shaking from her release. She didn't remove his shirt, just moved onto the opening of his pants.

Tony was done taking his time. He shooed her hands away from his slacks and pulled himself out as he pulled her to him roughly. Michelle lifted a leg, wrapping it around his waist and throwing her arms around his neck. He stroked himself a few times and then lined up, pushing into her slowly. She groaned as he slid deep but he just dropped his head to her shoulder and grabbed her other thigh, winding it around his waist as well. Michelle squeaked then moaned at the sudden movement. Tony buried his face between her breasts, kissing and licking anything that was close to his mouth as he started walking, making his way to the bedroom.

Michelle pulled his lips back to hers as he lowered them to the mattress. He never left her body, pushing into her as they slid to the middle of the bed. He started an easy rhythm and broke their kiss, bumping her chin to get her to move her head back. He nibbled down the underside of her throat. Her nails were digging in deeper to the muscles on his shoulders, each thrust causing a slight sting of pain from her grip.

"Tony..." She was almost there. It was starting in her toes and working its way up.

"Te amo." It came out broken and she pulled at his hair, trying to get him to look at her but he wouldn't.

"Tony, please." _She had to do this._ He finally gave in and raised his eyes to hers.

She pulled him into a hard kiss, both their eyes closed. She broke the kiss suddenly. They were panting heavily into each other faces. _So close._ She rested her head against his.

"I love you, Tony."

Her words made him frantic. He groaned loudly and pounded into her with everything he had. He raised himself up on his hands, watching her back arch, her breasts move along with his thrusts. "Say it again."

"I love you."

He felt her tighten up on him, release just seconds away. "Again."

"Love you..." She came with a groan of his name on her lips. He pushed deep into her and dropped his head to her chest, his warmth filling her for longer than he thought possible. He let his weight settle and nuzzled under her hair by her ear. Michelle giggled softly and pushed at his sweaty face.

"One more for me?" He raised up enough to see her face. "This time in English please."

They both chuckled but he got a serious look on his face. "I love you Michelle."

She pulled him back to her and they shifted, burrowing further into each other. No one thought of Rachel. No one thought of Carlos. No one thought of Nina.

And there was no thought given to Tony's once occupied ring finger.


	8. Chapter 8

Michelle sighed sleepily and stretched her arms above her head. There was something familiar about waking up like this. Her eyes stayed closed and she rolled over, reaching for Tony but he wasn't there. She smirked a little as she heard it, the music. He was doing it again; playing his guitar while letting her sleep. No wonder she felt deja vu. She sat up and pulled the white sheet around her torso. Wrapping it around her, she made her way into the living room where she found him sitting on the floor with papers strewn around him, guitar in his lap. The shuffling of her inpromptu robe caught his attention and he stopped, looking up at her as she approached. His eyes raked down her form and a smug smile lit up his face.

"You do wear anything well, ya know that?"

She snorted and dropped to the floor alongside him. "Don't stop on my account. I'm getting used to waking this way."

Tony leaned over and kissed her, his tongue tapping at her lips. She gave a small groan and opened to him, deepening the kiss. "Trust me sweetheart, I wanted to wake you up in a different way."

Michelle shivered at his words and grinned. "So what're you writing?"

He went back to strumming lightly, her eyes getting lost watching his muscles flex and move. "It's not ready yet."

She poked at a page near her leg. "Well that's suspiciously sneaky."

Tony reached out and scooped up the papers, shuffling them together into a neat stack and tossing them onto one of the couch's side tables. "I'm not sneaky. You're'a snoop."

She hmph'd at him and fiddled with the edge of her sheet. Tony shifted his guitar back into playing position and and picked a few chords. "Why don't I play something for you?"

Michelle blushed. Sure, he'd been playing things for her every chance he could get, but that was on stage. He was sitting right in front of her. "Oh, that's ok..."

"I think I know the perfect song for our situation." He grinned widely at her and she couldn't say no when he did that.

She brushed a few curls behind her ear. "Alright then."

He grinned again and then started strumming lightly. She knew the song once he was a few lines in and she blushed again deeper. He could be such an ass sometimes and she loved it.

_Shed a tear 'cause I'm missin' you_

_I'm still alright to smile_

_Girl, I think about you every day now_

_Was a time when I wasn't sure_

_But you set my mind at ease_

_There is no doubt_

_You're in my heart now_

_Said, woman, take it slow_

_It'll work itself out fine_

_All we need is just a little patience_

_Said, sugar, make it slow_

_And we come together fine_

_All we need is just a little patience_

Michelle giggled as he tried to do his best Axl Rose impression. Her throat got tight for a minute as she thought of how he was trying to make light of a very bad situation. They may love each other but it wouldn't stop the pain they were about to inflict on others. Well, on one person in particular.

_I sit here on the stairs_

_'Cause I'd rather be alone_

_If I can't have you right now_

_I'll wait, dear_

_Sometimes I get so tense_

_But I can't speed up the time_

_But you know, love_

_There's one more thing to consider_

Michelle loosened her grip on the sheet and let it fall to her waist. Tony's rhythm slowed and finally came to a complete stop. She could feel her skin tingle as his eyes roamed up from the sheet, over her breasts and he finally met her eyes. He carefully set his guitar down on the floor and reached one hand out to her, running a finger up her side and then down her arm. He leaned over and kissed her softly, nudging her head to the side so he could run his lips down her neck.

His breath was warm against the valley of her breasts. "God you are perfect."

She ran one hand through his hair as she leaned back to rest against her other hand. Tony leaned over her, holding himself up with an arm on each side of her waist. His lips trailed to one nipple and he latched on, suckling lightly.

"Tony..." It came out in a whimper and he broke away from her to push towards the carpet.

"Lay back baby."

* * *

Michelle popped another carrot into her mouth. She was sitting on the kitchen counter, swinging her legs back and forth watching him cook. A man who could cook was sexy. But Tony cooking in nothing but sweatpants was even sexier. Michelle smiled to herself and felt her cheeks warm as she thought of the completely lazy, yet very exercising afternoon they'd had. She was wearing nothing but his dress shirt from the night before and her panties and she'd had to fight to even get those.

"You keep eating those and we won't have enough for dinner." He kept his eyes on their steaks.

"You'll think of something." She popped another carrot just as he set the spatula down and wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her to the edge of the counter. She squealed as he lifted the shirt and blew hard on her stomach.

"Tony! Stop it!" He chuckled with her but changed tactics and ran his lips around the top of her panties, causing her to suck in a quick breath.

Michelle laid back on the counter, her fists tight in his hair. Tony looked over at the steaks to check then focused back on her. "You're insatiable, you know that?" The annoyance in her voice barely came through her heavy breathing.

"Well if you didn't taste so good..." He moved her panties to the side and ran his tongue through her folds, blowing slightly on her hot skin. She shivered and he wiggled his fingers under the edge of the cloth on each side, pulling them down her legs.

"What about the food?" She moaned and arched against the counter as he gently spread her legs, hooking his hands behind her knees. Tony kissed her stomach gently and started unbuttoning her shirt. "The food can wait. I'm in the mood for something else right now." He pulled the two sides apart and ran one palm up her stomach to her chest. She arched into him and he bent down to kiss her inside thigh. He breathed in deep and groaned, lapping his tongue against her.

Michelle moaned. He was so good at this and he seemed to never get enough of her. She pulled his hair slightly when he switched from her opening to her clit. Tony hummed and she gasped. "You're so wet baby. Taste so good." Her back came off the counter when he slid two fingers inside her, pumping slowly. "I could eat you all night."

"Tony....inside me..." Michelle tugged upwards, bringing him away from her center and back to her lips, tasting herself. Tony broke the kiss and licked his lips, pushing the front of his sweats down and taking himself in hand. She watched as he made a few lazy strokes, lining up with her and sliding in slowly. He leaned forward on his hands by her head and started movingly leisurely. She wrapped her arms around his middle, running her hands along his back, feeling his muscles move as he loved her.

"More Tony."

He growled and changed his pace, his hips slapping against hers wetly. "Yes baby." She dug her nails into his backside and he groaned. "Christ Michelle."

"So close..." Goosebumps raised on her arms as her climax approached. He bit his lip and watched the way her breasts moved as he pushed, watched her jaw go slack as she started to come. She tightened up on him and he ground into her roughly, resting his head on her chest as he filled her with his warmth. She pulled him up to her, still panting and kissed him. Tony ran his nose along her skin to her shoulder, burying his face in her hair. "I love you."

Michelle sighed happily, a grin coming to her face before she blurted out "I'm nervous."

Tony raised his head from her shoulder, one eyebrow arching in confusion. "I say 'I love you' and you say 'I'm nervous.'"

She blushed and bumped her head into his chest. "I can't help it. I'm worried about going on stage tomorrow night." Tony chuckled. "You're worried about that? How many times I gotta tell ya, you'll be fine." He slid out of her and they both groaned. He wet a dish towel for her and helped to clean her and himself up.

Michelle was back sitting up on the edge of the counter, buttoning up the shirt once again. "I'm going to talk to Carlos after the concert tomorrow night."

Tony stopped plating their food and just stared straight ahead, waiting for her to continue. "I love you and I can't keep doing this. I need to tell him and I need to stop putting it off."

He turned to look at her and she bit her lip. He set down the plate he was holding and stepped back over to her, sliding in between her legs. Michelle wrapped her arms around his shoulders, sliding her fingers through his hair as he rested against her.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Hey, you're Michelle right?"

Michelle looked up from the music sheets she was studying. They were in the auditorium where the band would play their next two concerts. Rehearsal had started and the sound checks were, so far, going smoothly. Kim's band was opening for them and Tony thought it would be fun to join her for a few songs as a surprise to the fans. She'd seen the guy standing before her working in the "sound pit" as they called it. He was tall, with a thin face and dark hair. He had a goatee that made Michelle think of a three musketeer.

"Yeah, that's me." She smiled and reached out her hand. He grinned and took it, shaking smoothly.

"I'm Milo. I do all the sound and light work. Tony told me I should come and make sure your piano and violin are hooked up to your specifications. Said something about you being "the expert."" Milo made air quotes and she blushed slightly.

"Well, I'm not sure about the expert part but yeah, I need to make sure the violin is at least on it's own channel. Otherwise, it won't come through correctly with the other instruments." He nodded and turned, making his way back to the pit. "I'll switch you over to your own panel and we can test it from there, how's that?"

"That works. Thank you."

The day was exhausting. She knew it was wrong of her to think so, but she honestly felt like this type of music couldn't possibly take that much work. She had been wrong. Dead wrong. The amount of sound checks and stage light adjustments alone were crazy. It was way more work than setting up for the symphony and she found a whole new respect for the people who made sure everything went off without a hitch. Bill was obviously good at his job because not one person could be found lounging around. They all took their tasks very seriously. She was enjoying sitting back in one of the stadium chairs watching Kim's band play through the few numbers they'd picked for Tony. She smiled and laughed as they played with each other. Kim ran her finger down Tony's chest during one song and it was just sickeningly sweet the way they flirted. Michelle knew it was all an act, but she couldn't help the way her stomach tightened at another woman looking at him that way. They knew what they were doing though. The few songs they practiced were perfectly chosen for that kind of thing and she had to admit, it was entertaining.

Michelle noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to her left. Carlos was standing there, looking timidly at the floor. She straightened up in her seat.

"You mind if I join you?" She shook her head and he pushed the base of the seat down, shifting until he was comfortable. There was something about the way he was acting. He seemed nervous and it was throwing her off.

"I'm glad you're here actually. I, I wanted to talk to you about a few things." She twisted her fingers, trying to find anything to keep her from looking into his eyes.

"Yeah, I needed to talk to you too. I know about you and Tony, Michelle." Her head snapped up and she looked at him warily. "It's ok, I'm not mad. Well, I am but I mean, it's not like this hasn't happened to me before. My brother, well, let's just say he enjoys taking away things that make me happy."

Michelle narrowed her eyes in confusion. "I don't, what are you talking about?"

It was Carlos's turn to look confused. "You mean he hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?"

He glanced up at the stage where Tony was in a discussion with Kim, not having any idea he and Michelle were talking. Carlos smirked for a split second then slid back into his act. "He hasn't told you about Rachel?"

Michelle sucked in a quick breath at the mention of the woman. With everything that happened the past few days she'd forgotten all about her and the wedding ring she'd seen on Tony's finger in that music video.

"I won't get into it here. But tonight, after the show I'll tell you everything."

Michelle left his eyes and focused on Tony, laughing on the stage with Kim.

"I'll tell you everything you need to know about Rachel."


	9. Chapter 9

_Whew, it's here._

_And yes, it's the explanation chapter. I hope the buildup hasn't caused people to think it's this big surprise cause really it isn't. I just ask that you don't hate me for long. =)_

_The set list if you want to look up the songs I used is (all can be found on YouTube):_

_Ladies and Gentlemen - Saliva  
Devour - Shinedown  
Something In Your Mouth - Nickelback  
No Jesus Christ - Seether  
Careless Whisper - Seether  
Breakdown - Seether  
Touche' - Godsmack  
Broken - Seether and Amy Lee (video Carlos shows Michelle) _

* * *

"Michelle!"

She jumped at the sound of her name and tightened the belt of her robe. Kim's band was about to finish their set and then after intermission she'd be on-stage; on-stage in front of 75 thousand people. All day Tony had assured her she'd be fine but she was nothing but a ball of nerves. She'd settled down by the time the show started but watching from the side stage as Tony and Kim performed together had caused her nervousness to return full force. The excitement of the crowd was it's own living, breathing entity. She'd only felt like that one other time in her life and it was when she was with Tony. That had scared the hell out of her too. She breathed in deep and went to her door. There wasn't anything she could do about it. She was performing and that was that.

She opened the door a crack to check who it was and smiled wide. "Checking to make sure I didn't bail?"

Tony smirked and pushed through the door, raking his eyes up and down her form as she shut the door. "I know better." She raised an eyebrow at him and his smirk turned sheepish. "Well, ok maybe a little." She smacked him on the arm and walked back to her counter to start getting ready. He laughed and followed close behind her. "Still nervous?"

She looked at him through the mirror. "Like you wouldn't believe. Why? Does it show that bad?"

Tony shook his head and came up behind her, resting his hands on the edge of the counter and burying his face into the back of her hair. "You look perfect. In fact, I think you should go out like this." They both chuffed and she turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh really? So you have no issue with me being naked on-stage Mr. Almeida?"

He pulled her lips to his and kissed her softly making her groan. A small smile broke out on his face. "Well, you would be perfect like this for "Something In Your Mouth."" That earned him an even harder smack than before.

"Anthony Almeida! Please tell me you didn't just suggest I dance naked on stage for your hooker song." She ran her hands down his chest and dropped her eyes. "I can't believe you're doing that one."

Tony smirked again. "Why Ms. Dessler, are you jealous?" Her head shot up, ready to deny it when she saw him smiling back at her. She turned a bit red and her eyes skittered around. "No! I mean...was she someone you were, close with?" He pulled her in closer and kissed the top of her head. "Do you really want to know the answer to that?" She bumped his chest with her head and he felt her shake it back and forth. "No, you're right. Forget I asked."

Michelle raised her head and fiddled with his collar. She was going to ruin the mood but she felt he needed to know she'd talked to Carlos. "Tony, I spoke with Carlos earlier. You were on stage with Kim at rehearsal and he came over to talk." She watched his face turn from humor to something harder instantly. He didn't say anything so she went on. "He knows about us." He still didn't speak, looking off into the distance. "I'm going to meet him back at his room at the hotel after the show."

That seemed to pull his attention back to her. "You want me to come with you?"

She shook her head gently. "No. I think this is something we need to talk about alone. Finally finish it." She reached up and ran her hand along his cheek. "I'll meet you back at your room once I'm done."

He searched her eyes before sighing softly and stealing a kiss. "So, is there anything I can do to help you calm down?" He ran his hand down her robed form, pulling his fingers back up once he'd reached the end of the fabric on her thigh. The silk slid along her skin and she shivered.

"We don't have time for that Tony."

"There's always time for that. Sit back on the counter." He pulled the tie on her robe as she stepped back. He watched one edge fall off her shoulder as the sides parted to reveal her to him. She blushed at his concentration. No one ever looked at her like he did.

Tony took a few slow steps towards her, dipping down to his knees as he spoke. "Now open for me baby. I want to make sure I can taste you on my tongue all night."

* * *

Michelle took in a deep breath as a wave of applause washed over them. The lights had fallen after the latest song and she had a few seconds to compose herself. She really had no reason to be nervous because once she'd stepped on that stage and they'd started, it'd been something like euphoria ever since. She'd once read a description of performing on stage by a famous rock star and remembers snickering at the time. He had explained it as something spiritual, like a sub conscious awakening. Frankly, like the best trip a drug addict could ever achieve. It had seemed absurd to her at the time but she had understood him a little once she'd taken her first step onto the stage at the symphony. But this, this was unreal. The show had opened with a bang, starting with _Ladies and Gentlemen_. Carlos sang the opening song with his usual enthusiasm but it was Tony that had her blinking a few times in confusion and awe. His vocals accompanied his brother, as did his guitar, but something was different. He was more vibrant and active, moving all over the stage and engaging the crowd more than usual, even turning at one point to smirk at her. He was enjoying himself and she couldn't help but think she had something to do with it. It was humbling.

The stage had been set up with three large screens and it was surreal to see Tony as well as herself up there from time to time. It didn't help that she couldn't keep her eyes from them when she wasn't needed for accompaniment. A few times she'd almost missed her queue. They had started the song _Devour _at one point and she was incapable of not watching him. He was fierce, there was no other word for it. He was playing his heart out, singing from his soul and wanting everyone to join him. She'd never seen him so animated before. And the light show just played into the fact that he owned that stage. The strobes and spotlights showing the emotion and physicality in his performance. He was hot and sweaty and she thought she might swoon so loud they could hear her over the music.

A bottom stage light flicked on slowly as the intro to the next song started and she watched as it lit him up from his feet giving him a shadowy presence. They were starting _No Jesus Christ_. Quite a few of the songs on the set list she'd never seen them perform and this was one of them. As the light came to it's set brightness Tony started to sing, his guitar slung low on his shoulder, his hands coming up almost intimately against the stand. His fingers wrapped around the mic and his slips slid close as he spoke. The air seemed to crackle around her. The few notes he played in between versus were sorrowful and everything built up like his anger in the words. It was a roller coaster ride through his pain; slow, hateful and then slow again. The other band members were lit up at different intervals but Tony stayed in semi shadow. The whole thing was a bit disconcerting which made it that much more effective.

The song had a long solo and she watched as he played, a spotlight finally illuminating him near the end as he went right into the next song and her breath caught a little.

_That ass!_

She immediately recognized the tune and she blushed. He had teased her a while back when she'd somehow let slip that she was a fan of George Michael.

_"What songs? Cause I can't think of anything of his I'm a fan of."_

_"How can you not like Careless Whisper? You didn't dance to that with some pig tailed girl in high school?"_

_"Baby I was way past dancing by the time I got to high school."_

Her blush deepened as she remembered what had followed that conversation. Now she was sitting at her piano, on stage with him, watching him perform his own version of _Careless Whisper_. He continued to play, moving around the stage but turning toward her and winking right before he started singing. It wasn't as soft as the original and she loved it even more for that. Tony wasn't soft. He had made it rough around the edges, mirroring himself in the words. She had no idea how he had been able to keep it off the set list and still have everyone ready for it, but it was a welcome surprise.

She straightened up and got ready for her queue to start the next song as Tony played the intro to _Breakdown_. She had only read the words to the song the day before at practice. She played her part as his voice blended with her chords and she couldn't help the wave of sadness that passed over her. She glanced at the large screen in front of her and wished she hadn't. Bill had told her that he always wrote what he felt. It was clear that this was written in pain. She continued without error but one line from the song kept playing in her head long after it was over; _"And yeah I could have tried and devoted my life to both of us but what a waste of my time when the world we had was yours."_

The concert had come to it's final song of the night and she moved off to the side stage to watch. They were closing with a song called _Touche_. She'd never heard it and it surprised her to see Carlos pull a stool up next to his brother. They both had acoustic guitars and Tony started the lead in as Carlos started to sing. Tony added his voice and once they got to the part they sang as a duet she got a small glimpse of how amazing they were when they actually worked together. It was short lived, however, once she started to capture the meaning of the song. She sighed deeply.

_Find a way  
A way to be  
You're looking down again  
Just let it be  
And I'd only do for you what you'd do for me  
And I only would do for you what you'd do for me_

_Wastin' time like it was free  
Will you ever find where you'll be  
And I'd only would do for you what you'd do for me_

_Oh... don't look back just to lean on me  
Oh... it's taken the life out of me  
It's not like you'd know  
You've never been close enough  
Closer than you've been to me  
It's not what you say  
It's just in the way  
You push me away_

_And I only would do for you what you'd do for me_

The song came to a slow close and the applause was deafening. But she didn't really notice it. She was too busy watching Tony stand and graciously thank the audience. And just before she turned to make her way backstage she saw the look of loathing Carlos was giving his brother's back.

* * *

Michelle knocked timidly on Carlos's room door. It was late but she was determined to get this over with. She'd put it off long enough and it was time to finish things. She was looking forward to being openly _with _Tony. No more sneaking around; sneaking that was obviously not fooling anyone.

The door opened and a very somber looking Carlos asked her in. She glanced around as he shut the door, nervousness taking over again. He walked past her and waved for her to follow him into the living room. She sat on the couch and he made his way around to a chair on the far side. He had the TV remote in his hand and she raised an eyebrow at that before focusing on him as he started to speak.

"I guess there's not use it beating around the bush so I'll just come out with it." He took a second to pause. "Tony was married before."

He watched her reaction and didn't see surprise. "I thought you said he didn't tell you about Rachel?"

Michelle fidgeted under his gaze. Something was off. He seemed annoyed that he hadn't shocked her. She didn't hide her confusion at his tone. "I noticed he was wearing a wedding band in an old music video I found on the web. He never told me anything about it."

A small smirk came to his face and went before she'd even noticed. "He married Rachel Carson in the summer of 98'. She was a singer too although not as known as we were. They got married just after we hit it really big."

She watched him swallow and for the first time in a long while she thought she saw real emotion in his face. "I had dated Rachel before Tony. We weren't together long, but I loved her. Everything was going fine until I introduced them. Then, he had to go and steal her from me."

Carlos tightened his grip on the remote till the plastic gave a small squeak at the tension. "One day she just came to me and said things weren't working out for her and that she thought she we should take a break. A few months later Tony tells me he'd like to start seeing her. I was furious at first but in the end, what could I do? They were married a year later. It wasn't exactly the most romantic of relationships. We had started to tour since our first album had taken off and they fought a lot over that. Tony never seemed to care that he was hurting Rachel. He took great pleasure in reminding me he'd won. He started drinking out on the road and then came the drugs. The fights got worse and I finally asked him why he stayed with her if he knew he was making her miserable. He just looked at me and said "to make sure you can't have her.""

Michelle gasped quietly. "You can't...you can't be serious. I don't believe Tony would ever say anything like that, even to you. I know you don't get along but what you're telling me doesn't make any sense."

Carlos gave a sad smile and hung his head. "I know it seems out of character for him Michelle, but trust me when I say my brother hates me. He always has, even when we were little. Any chance he can get to put me down, he takes it. You saw him tonight. What the fuck was up with him closing with that song? You can't sit there and tell me you haven't seen him be vindictive. You're sleeping with him behind my back."

She blushed at that and looked away, embarrassed. "I don't blame you Michelle. I blame him. He's good at what he does. I honestly didn't think he would sink as low as repeating his past mistakes but he has. And I couldn't let what happened to Rachel, happen to you."

Her gaze returned to him and warily she asked him what she'd been dying to ask someone since hearing the woman's name. "What happened to Rachel?"

He raised the remote and flipped on the television. She watched as a music video started. Tony showed up playing a guitar in a beat up car in what looked like a junkyard, wedding ring plain on his finger. He started singing and over his shoulder the blonde woman from the video she'd watched came into view, leaning her head against the back of his. The song continued and she started to sing with him. She was very good and they sounded great together. Her eyes started to water listening to the words of the song.

Carlos watched her reaction. _This couldn't be any more perfect._ "She and Tony wrote the song together for a movie. They had argued just about all day on the set. Tony was drunk and high most of the day and by the time we finished it was late and he was irritated. I begged her not to get in the car with him but she said he was her husband, she had to go with him to make sure he was ok." He took a deep breath and Michelle saw his eyes fill and a few tears spill out. "Around 2am I get a call from Bill that there'd been an accident. Tony had killed her."

Michelle's eyes grew wide. "What?!"

"Trust me, I was as shocked as you. At some point she had wanted out of the car but he refused and as wasted as he was he hadn't had the reflexes to entirely miss an oncoming car. He'd swerved into the other lane while arguing with her and the other car had hit her side, flipping them several times. It killed her instantly and really messed up his back. No doubt you've seen the scar he has." He watched her blush again at his mention of their sleeping together.

She composed herself quickly. "That doesn't mean--"

"He killed her Michelle. He may not have put a gun to her head but he wouldn't let her out of the car. He knew he was in no shape to drive, he just didn't want her being anywhere around me. If he had let her out, she'd be here today. He didn't love Rachel. He kept her with him to keep her away from me and in turn his hatred of me killed her."

She sat there, his words sinking in. The words from the song on the T.V. a contrast to the story he was telling her. _How could she had been so wrong about him?_

Carlos slid from his chair and sat beside her slowly. "I didn't want to bring you into all this. I tried to keep you away from him but once we went on tour it was nearly impossible." He watched as the tears started to slide down her face. "He's just using you to get to me. I don't know what he's told you, but trust me when I say he doesn't love you. He doesn't care that I could see you two were sneaking around. He made sure I caught his hints." Carlos reached out and ran one hand through her hair softly. "I still love you Michelle. I don't want him to ruin what we could have together."

She watched in what seemed like slow motion as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small black box. She didn't dare breathe as he raised it up and opened the lid, revealing a gorgeous diamond ring.

"I know this isn't exactly the best proposal or even the best timing, but I just want you to know I'm sincere. Will you marry me?"

All she could do was stare at the ring. Her heart was racing and her head was spinning. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. She was supposed to come in and tell him she loved Tony. She wasn't supposed to find out she'd been a pawn in some sick game. She wasn't supposed to find out she'd fallen in love with the wrong brother. She had to get out of there and think.

She shot up off the couch and quickly made her way to the door, swiping at her eyes and mumbling. "I, I've got to get out of here. I need to think."

Carlos watched his door slam and smirked, pulling his cell phone out. He dialed and waited.

"Yeah it's me. I did my part, now it's your turn." He flipped the phone closed and relaxed back into the cushions.

* * *

Tony was worried and that wasn't like him.

He knew everything would be fine but he didn't trust his brother. Michelle could handle herself but it was Carlos that made him antsy. He took another swallow of his drink and kept pacing. He'd been drinking more lately and he needed to slow down but his nerves wouldn't let him. Anytime he needed to slow down he would just think of Rachel but this time, he needed to calm himself or he'd end up knocking on Carlos's door and he was pretty sure Michelle wouldn't like that. He was already well on his way to being drunk. Michelle wouldn't like that either but once he told her the alternative she'd forgive him.

A knock sounding at his door was not what he was expecting so soon. Still, he rushed to it and didn't bother asking who it was. His face fell when he saw who was on the other side.

"What'dya want Nina?"

"Well it's nice to see you too Tony. Aren't you gonna invite a girl inside?" She gave him a drunken smirk.

"No. There's nothing for you here Nina. Go home. Or at least to whoever's home you're claiming these days." He went to close the door and she reached out her hand to stop it, a bottle of whiskey in her grip. It clanged hard against the wood. "Wait Tony, I'm sorry. I shouldn't just show up like this, I know. I was in the area and I thought we could have a few drinks." Her words were slightly slurred and even though it was against his better judgment he didn't want to send her back to the street in her condition.

Tony sighed heavily and pulled back the door wider to allow her in. She went to walk past, raising the bottle to her lips and tripping in the process sending liquid all over herself and him.

"Goddamn it Nina." He pulled his shirt from his pants and glared at her. She burst out laughing and he pushed her toward the couch. "Just sit down and don't move while I change." He removed the shirt on his way to his bedroom and tossed it onto the kitchen counter. "I'll bring you something to change into."

Nina watched him disappear down the hall and got up from the couch. She headed to the kitchen and snagged his shirt. Quickly she removed her clothes and slipped into his shirt, sighing at the familiar scent of him, even through the alcohol. She smiled, remembering how many times she'd been in nothing but her panties and some shirt of his. She didn't love Tony, but she damn sure didn't like Michelle.

She had just made it back to the couch where there was a knock at his door. She smiled evilly. She knew who that was.

Nina opened the door slowly and took in Michelle's appearance. She was crying, a mess of curls had escaped her ponytail and she was fidgeting. The look on her face when she saw Nina though was classic.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm...I'm sorry I must have the wrong room." Confused, Michelle went to turn.

"Wait...you're Michelle right?" Nina watched the other woman raise an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, Tony has told me about you. I'm Nina."

Michelle opened and closed her mouth. She went to speak when she heard Tony from inside the room. "Nina, I thought I told ya to stay on the couch. I was coming right back with your clothes." He froze when he saw Michelle. His eyes raked down her form taking in how flustered she looked. "Michelle? What's--"

"I've got to go." Before he could stop her she'd made her way to the stairwell.

Nina just smiled.

* * *

Carlos had just started to drift off when he heard knocking at his door. He swung his feet down from the couch and stretched. It was near 4am and he hadn't planned on everything taking this long. He honestly thought maybe his plan hadn't worked when Nina had called him after Tony kicked her out. She'd said Michelle had fled the hotel but when she didn't show back up at his place he thought it had just went south. Even if she hadn't shown up now it wouldn't have been a total bust. Nina had told him Tony was devastated.

He opened the door and before he could even offer to invite her inside, Michelle cut him off. "Yes."

"Yes? Yes what?"

She wrapped her arms around herself and when she looked at him he swore her eyes seemed empty. "Yes. I'll marry you."


	10. Chapter 10

_And here we go. Moving into the home stretch. I've introduced a new character in this chapter. Unless you've watched Stargate: Atlantis you won't know him and it's ok. None of SGA is in this. I just love the guy._

_And a huge apology to people here at FF because I've had this chapter up for months on LJ but forgot to upload it here. Sorry about that! So you get chapter 10 and 11 back to back._

_Song John and Tony play - Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson  
Song Tony and Michelle play - So Long, Good-Bye by 10 Years _

* * *

Michelle folded the last of her clothes and placed them into her suitcase. They were flying to Las Vegas tomorrow morning after the show tonight. They had practice tomorrow afternoon before going right back into another show. It's funny how this never really affected her when she was happy. She definitely wasn't happy now.

She sank to her bed and rest her face in her hands, sighing deeply. It'd been a little over two months since she'd accepted Carlos's engagement. Two months since her heart had broken in half. Carlos had been nothing but accommodating. He hadn't pushed anything on her, explaining he knew that she needed time to get over what Tony had done to her. She was ashamed to admit that it had been less than two months since she'd been with Tony. He'd come to her hotel room one night a few weeks ago, drunker than she had ever seen him which seemed to be the norm lately. They'd fought at first. Yelling, accusing each other of all manner of things before he'd finally started begging and she just couldn't take it. She'd managed to keep her distance from him the entire time, but had made the mistake of reaching out and palming his cheek during one of his more pathetic displays. He'd seen an opening and he'd taken it. Things had happened so fast from there it made her head spin just thinking about it. They went from kissing to naked and frantically fucking against her dresser. She colored at the vulgar term. That's exactly what they were doing. It wasn't loving, it was desperate and sad and she'd cried the entire time. What had killed her was that she was pretty sure he had also.

She reached up and wiped at her eyes. She'd shed more tears in the past few months than she had in her entire life it seemed like. This wasn't like her. This whole situation was so confusing and messed up. She had no idea what she was doing. An abrupt knock at her door interrupted her thoughts and brought her to her feet. She swung the door open and trailed her eyes over Tony's form worriedly. He was usually so well put together. That wasn't the case anymore. He'd just thrown on some t-shirt and jeans he'd probably found on the floor near his bed. What was always the most disturbing was his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks; his eyes all red and glassy. He was drunk; in fact he had most likely been drunk all day. His face showed more than a day's growth as well.

Tony fidgeted and slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Car's comin' to take us to the auditorium."

Michelle sighed. "Tony you don't look-"

He cut her off before she could finish. "That's all I came to tell ya." He turned to leave, glanced once more at her over his shoulder and turned the corner out of her sight.

This was what they had been reduced too and it was tearing her apart.  


* * *

Michelle was making her way back inside the auditorium after lunch. They'd taken a break a little over two hours ago and she had to get out of the place. The Las Vegas heat was scorching but there was no way she could sit inside any longer. Her practice was fine but the tension was suffocating. Which was why she was surprised to walk into the stage area to hear laughter. She made her way around the side of the floor out of sight and took a seat. Tony, Jack and a man she hadn't met before were up on stage talking. Tony and the man had their guitars and Jack was tapping his drumsticks against his legs as they laughed. The man was tall, taller than Tony with dark hair that she swore defied gravity. He was lanky and very good looking in that rugged sort of way.

"What do you guys want to start with first? Something to get warmed up?" Jack scratched his head with his sticks.

The man she didn't know smiled and she couldn't help but smile along with him. He was more adorable than handsome when he did that. "Cliffs of Dover. That's what we always started with."

She watched Tony smirk. "I warn you man. I've gotten much better since high school."

_High school?_ She pulled a confused look but it dropped quickly once they separated and got into position to start. Tony started and she caught herself swelling with pride as she watched him. It never got old seeing him play. The stranger picked up next as they switched back and forth. They were amazing together. Tony and Carlos were very good but these two, they just flowed alongside each other. Jack's accompanyment was also good but she just couldn't keep her eyes off the two of them. The smile that lit up Tony's face as he and his friend played off each other made her chest tight. Even if she couldn't put that smile back on his face at least someone could. She could see them teasing each other, their feet tapping along excitedly to the music. The stranger made Tony bust out laughing at one point, seeming to get a little _too _enthusiastic on purpose; a large smile on his face the entire time. The song came to an end, both of them playing the final solo perfectly in tune.

They all turned as someone clapped from backstage and she watched as Carlos walked out. Tony's demeanor instantly switched to cold indifference. She got up and climbed the side stairs, meeting him as he approached.

"Sounded great guys. As usual." It was impossible to miss the condescending tone in Carlos's voice.

"Nice to see you too Carlos. Things going ok?" Carlos had moved over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in close to his side. "Couldn't be better Sheppard." He looked down at Michelle then back at the man. "Have you met my fiancee'? Michelle, this is John Sheppard. His band is taking over for Kim's for the next half of the tour." John reached his hand out and gave her a big smile. "We've known Sheppard since middle school."

"He's only actually liked me since high school though." Michelle smiled back at his comment. "It's nice to meet you Michelle. I've...heard a lot about you." She noticed he cut his eyes at Tony; Tony's gaze dropped to the stage.

Her smile faded a bit. "All good things I hope."

He gave her another boyish grin. "Considering the source, absolutely."

Carlos clapped his hands together, breaking up the reunion. "I think we have some work to get back to. I'm going to go over a few things with Milo. I'll see you guys later." He leaned down and slipped his lips over Michelle's, not even caring she didn't react.

She couldn't help but glance over at Tony, watching as he balled his hands into fists. It was John who spoke first though. "Yeah, hey, I'll see you guys later. We're gonna head out and relax for a few before the show. We'll be back for the final setup." He looked at Michelle, then Tony and back to Michelle. "It was nice meeting you Michelle."

"You too John."

Tony finally spoke. "I'll see ya later Sheppard." She watched as he nodded and grabbed his guitar case, disappearing behind the stage curtain, leaving only her and Tony.

Tony went to turn away from her but he stopped when she spoke. "I actually needed to talk to you. There is a song on my set list, the last one of the evening. We haven't rehearsed it and I wanted to know when you wanted to-"

"We aren't rehearsing that." He turned his back to her and started packing up his guitar.

"But, I haven't had the time to learn it. I'll have to take my sheet music on stage." She took a few steps towards him but stopped when he carefully backed away.

"That's fine. Take the music on stage with you." He snapped the locks closed on the case and stood, keeping more than enough distance between them. Michelle had to bite her lip to keep her voice even.

"But what about the others?"

Tony refused to look at her as he started to make his way off the stage. "There isn't anyone else." He stopped with his back still to her and she could barely hear him. "The song is only for you and me."  


* * *

For about the millionth time that night, Michelle reached up and swiped at her eyes.

She'd never seen him like this. Tony was beyond drunk. In fact she was surprised he was able to still perform. She had watched him argue with Bill backstage before they went on. As far as the crowd knew he was perfectly fine. Everyone else knew better though. She knew better. His choices for the set lists were getting progressively angry and this one was just more of the same but with an underlying finish to it. Nothing upbeat at all. It was all anger, hurt and defeat. And now they were setting up for the last song. The song she'd been dreading since making the mistake of reading the words at intermission. He was doing this for nothing more than to hurt her.

The stage hands were pulling off the unneeded instruments and rolling out her piano. The auditorium was pitch black and the crowd was anxiously waiting for it's finish. She swiped at her eyes again as Tony pushed his way past her. Michelle reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Tony, please...please don't make me do this."

He looked right through her, not seeing or not caring to see the desperation in her eyes. He numbly shook her grip off. "It's your job Michelle."

She watched him walk out onto the stage under the cover of the darkened lights. He sat on the stool facing her piano and set up his guitar. She closed her eyes and breathed in deep, a small sob making it's way past her lips. She slowly approached the piano and set up. One small light faded into brightness and he started to play, no one in the audience knowing they'd be witnesses as he slowly killed what was left of his heart.

_Keep changing your mind._

_Like clouds in the sky_

_Love me when your high_

_Leave me when you cry_

_I know it all takes time_

_Like a river running dry when the suns to bright_

_So long this is good-bye_

_May we meet again in another life_

_Like strangers passing by_

_May we see clearly in a different light_

Michelle couldn't drop her eyes from his. He had made sure she could focus on nothing else but him. Tony sang for her and only her, his eyes red and glassy but this time not from the alcohol. She watched as slowly, wet trails glittered as he moved when he played and sang.

_Keep dodging lights_

_Like a thief in the night_

_The sun will rise and expose all our lies_

_So why deny that you and I lead different lives_

_The rivers from your eye's can't change my mind_

_So long this is good-bye_

_Maybe we'll meet again in another life_

_Like strangers passing by_

_Maybe we'll see clearly in a different light_

His gaze was piercing and she felt like she couldn't breathe, her own tears spilling over onto the keys. He was flaying himself emotionally, right in front of her and it was so painful she nearly didn't make her mark. But, she didn't miss it. She wouldn't do that to him. This was what he wanted and she'd give it to him. She would help destroy him. With her vision blurry and barely able to see she played her part, all the way to the end.

_So long this is good-bye_

_Maybe we'll meet again in another life_

_Like strangers passing by_

_Maybe we'll see clearly in a different light_

Tony finished. The last note played and the audience stood in their applause. The lights had already gone down and they both made their way off stage.

Michelle had a sickening feeling in her chest. This was it. This was the end of them. He'd made that perfectly clear, but there was something else. Something was horribly wrong. She watched as Tony went straight to Bill, said something to him and pulled his coat on. He strode past her and without knowing why, she reached out for his arm.

"Tony wait."

He stopped and looked at her. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find anything to say. Tony gently pulled her hand off his arm.

"Thank you." And with that he was gone.

Later that evening she got a call. It woke her up near 3:30 a.m. It was Bill. She threw on whatever she could find quickly and made her way frantically downstairs to catch the car he had sent to pick her up. And the entire ride she kept replaying what he'd said.

_"Michelle, it's Bill. Tony's been in an accident."_


	11. Chapter 11

_Finally. Jeebus. Only a few more left after this and we are done. Hope everyone likes this one._

* * *

Michelle paced back and forth, trying to keep the antiseptic smell of the hospital from making her sick. They'd been here over three hours and Tony was still in surgery. No one had much for them. He'd been brought in severely injured; the loser in an accidental battle with a large diesel truck. Michelle closed her eyes and tried to push away the thoughts of this _not _being accidental. She mentally shook her head. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't...

She felt someone approach and turned around to see John holding out a cup of coffee towards her. He tried a timid smile but she saw his eyes were just as red rimmed as her's were. She took the cup from him offering a small thanks.

"I have a feeling we are gonna need a lot more of this." He spoke, raising his cup to indicate the coffee. She nodded in agreement and sat in one of the chairs on the far side of the room. Bill, Jack and various other members from the band were there but she didn't exactly feel up to socializing. It didn't help her mood that her so called finance was no where to be found. She'd left about a million messages and he wasn't answering her texts either. John took the seat next to her and sighed heavily.

"This is all my fault." Michelle had no idea why she blurted that out, but it made her feel better. She didn't know John at all, but if he was a close friend of Tony's it was the only way she could be close to him right now.

"I'm pretty sure you weren't driving when he hit that truck."

"He was drinking and driving because of me." Michelle didn't meet his eyes, her gaze studying the floor.

John just took a sip of his coffee and rested his elbows on his knees. His silence encouraged her to continue.

"Tony and I, we were...involved." She blushed a little but continued. "I was seeing him behind Carlos's back. I was all ready to break it off with Carlos and then he told me about Rachel; about how it was nothing but a game to Tony. I was so upset over what he'd done, when Carlos asked me to marry him I just said yes. And now, Tony's in there, possibly dying and I drove him to that."

"What exactly did Carlos tell you about Tony and Rachel?"

Michelle looked up from the floor and noticed he seemed confused. "He said they didn't get along. That Tony was abusing drugs and alcohol and they fought a lot. Finally they got into the accident that killed Rachel." She looked back down at her hands. "That she wanted out of the car but Tony wouldn't allow it."

She heard him snort and he suddenly shot up out of his chair, causing her to jump slightly. "What?"

John ran his hand through his hair causing the unruly spikes to shoot up even more and tossed his cup into the nearest trash can. "That son of a bitch."

Michelle's eyes grew large and she again asked what was wrong with a little more force.

He started pacing back and forth. "You want to know what happened with Tony and Rachel? Rachel cheated on him, that's what happened."

Michelle shook her head and looked up at him confused. "Carlos never mentioned anything about that."

"Of course he wouldn't." John dropped back down beside her. "He'd been in love with Rachel since he first laid eyes on her. We used to kid him about it all the time. She dumped him and hooked up with Tony. Carlos hated Tony already, that was just icing on the cake."

"But when did-"

"Tony had issues, yeah. We all did. I'm sure Carlos didn't tell you that he wasn't always with the band. He took over for me when I got married." He could tell by the look on her face he was right. "Rachel didn't want Tony. She wanted Tony's fame. He caught her cheating on him several times. That's what they were fighting about that day. She didn't try to get out of the car. In fact, the bitch _refused _to get out."

Michelle sucked in a quick breath and he turned a little red. "Sorry. Rachel...she's always been a sore subject between us." John rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I told him I didn't like her."

She didn't say anything, she couldn't. Concern spreading over his features, John laid his hand on her back. "She grabbed the wheel as they were driving."  


* * *

"Michelle! How could you not be ready?! I called you an hour ago!"

She huffed deeply into the phone as she scrambled to pull herself together. John was coming to pick her up on his way to see Tony. The accident was two months ago and while they still hadn't spoken about everything, life was at least better. Carlos was out of the picture now; something he was not happy about. She'd gone to see him shortly after John had told her what happened. They fought of course but she really felt it would be a bad idea to marry him under such false pretenses. He was upset for sure but appeared to take it in stride. He'd made himself scarce.

Tony had been moved from Las Vegas back home to Los Angeles where he was recovering in physical therapy. Well, physical therapy and also rehab. He had really done a number on himself. Both of his legs were broken and he punctured a lung. He'd eventually be able to walk without crutches but he would forever need a cane for longer periods on his feet. There was a permanent scar over his left eye and the left side of his neck. The first time they let Michelle in to see him she was sure she'd pass out. He looked so fragile and pale; nothing like the Tony she knew. She'd sat with him the entire time he'd been in a coma; almost two weeks. The tour had been cancelled and so far his doctor was hopeful he'd be able to return to touring. He just had to take it easier than before.

Michelle grabbed her bag and locked her apartment. "I'm coming down right now." She flipped her phone closed and stabbed repeatedly at the elevator button. If John hadn't been around for all of this, she wasn't sure how well she would have coped. Those first few weeks Tony had been in a coma, she was a wreck. John had made sure she didn't sit and wallow in her own self pity. In fact, he'd turned out to be one of her closest friends. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about him just made you trust him. His band still played local areas and she'd gone to as many as she could. He wasn't as good on guitar as Tony but he was still amazing. Singing, on the other hand, was definitely John's strong point. It was a bit disconcerting to watch him perform. He was very self critical and Michelle got the impression he felt he was never doing enough. There was way more to John Sheppard than he let on. There was a story there, she just hoped someday he'd tell her. She had a feeling he'd been hurt some how.

John smiled at her as she slid into the passenger side of his car. "This is where I get to say "women" isn't it?"

Michelle cut her eyes at him. "No."

He laughed and slipped his sunglasses back on, easing the car back out into traffic.

* * *

Tony was staying at a typical famous retreat. Or as John liked to call it "jail for the rich." Just walking to his room Michelle was sure she'd spotted at least 3 A-list celebrities.

"I could be wrong, but I swear I just saw Mel Gibson." John smirked as they both turned the corner. They weren't expecting to see Carlos entering Tony's room.

Michelle glanced up and John reached out to slow her, raising his finger to his mouth to signal quiet. They approached slowly but stayed out of sight around the door frame. She felt silly and a little guilty. They were ease dropping.

"John..."

"What harm could it do? We'll listen for a few then let them know we're here."

She was about to argue when Tony's voice cut her off.

"Wow. It only took you a few months. I guess I should be flattered that you even came by." Michelle could see into a small part of the room. Tony had hobbled around his bed on crutches while Carlos just stood at the foot with his hands on his hips.

"Yeah well I figured it was better for the band's image if I came by."

"Don't do me any favors, 'kay? What the hell do you want?" Tony went to move past him and Carlos grabbed onto the crutch nearest to him. "What are you-"

"What the fuck did you say to Michelle? Huh? One minute I have her eating out of the palm of my hand, then you go and pull this shit. You didn't honestly try to kill yourself over some chick did you?"

Tony pulled back but Carlos kept his grip on the crutch. "I didn't say anything to her."

"Oh come on Tony. This is just like Rachel."

"Rachel didn't love anyone but herself. But you couldn't leave it alone." Tony sighed and looked at the floor. "I love her Carlos."

Carlos pulled Tony closer and leaned in. "I'm sick and tired of getting your sloppy seconds." He pushed hard and Tony lost his balance, falling back and landing hard on the floor. "First Rachel, then Nina and now Michelle. Don't get close to anyone else Tony. I'll just add them to my list."

Michelle gasped loudly when she heard Nina's name. Both men turned and John made his way into the room, immediately going to Tony to help him up. "What the fuck is wrong with you man? He's your brother!"

Carlos never took his eyes off of Michelle. "He's not my brother."

Tony held tightly onto John's shoulder, fury turning his face red. "Get the fuck out Carlos. And don't come back." John steadied him enough to get him to sit on the bed.

Carlos turned. "We're in business together Tony. Where am I gonna go?"

Tony moved his eyes over his brother; a look of determination on his face Carlos had never seen before. "I don't care where you go. We're done. Get out."

"You can't get rid of me!"

"The hell I can't. Get a lawyer if you want, I don't care. I don't care what you do anymore. Now get out."

Carlos took one last look at Michelle and then stormed out of the room. She watched him leave then turned back to Tony, not quite sure what to say.

John glanced between his two friends awkwardly then rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll, uh, I'll just go get some coffee."

Michelle took a few steps closer to Tony and he finally reached out and pulled her between his legs, resting his forehead on her's.

"I'm so sorry Tony."

"Shhh, baby. This is my fault."

Michelle let out a small laugh. "We really didn't do this right did we?"

Tony smirked and ran the back of one hand down her cheek. "I meant what I said. I love you, I don't care how we do things."

"I love you too." She pulled away from him and smiled. "How about we start all over?"

Tony gave her a confused look when she reached out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Michelle Dessler." He glanced down at her hand then back up at her, a slow smile spreading over his face. He took her hand and shook firmly.

"I'm Tony Almeida. Nice to meet ya'."


	12. Chapter 12

_This is it! Last chapter before the epilogue. I'd like to thank Trinity Everett for checking over a lot of this entire thing. She keeps me sane and on my toes and everyone should thank her for all the inspiration she gives me._

__

Hope everyone has enjoyed the mass that is this story. I'm glad it's about over and also disappointed since you guys really seemed to like it. I can't say there won't be one-shots inspired by this cause there was a lot I had ideas for that I had to cut. So it won't go away totally, heh.

Enough of the teary eyed stuff. Here it is.

The song they are recording is "What Have You Done Now?" by Within Temptation.

The song Tony plays for Michelle is "Everything" by Lifehouse.

_PG_

* * *

_One year later_

"No, he has to sign the contract before we can push out the first single. I know he's worried but just, reassure him we don't take over the rights to any of his work."

Michelle pulled her car up to the studio and parked in front of the double glass doors. Running a music label turned out to be more trouble than she thought she could handle. And yet, she loved every minute of it. Tony had only one rule when he asked her if she wanted the job; no corporate games. He wanted this to be a way to help people more than making money and she'd done everything she could think of to stay true to his wishes. It kept her on her toes, as did he. Never once had he overruled her but that didn't mean they didn't argue over some of her decisions. Still, it meant a lot to her that he trusted her enough to do things her way.

A lot had changed in a year. Just like they thought he would, Carlos attempted to sue Tony over his firing. That was where Bill stepped in. As their manager, he had drafted everything they signed, but Tony had set up the structure for the contracts and well, he wasn't stupid. It was swift and quiet and didn't cause near the trouble Carlos was expecting. There was no backlash, no bad press. He had nothing to do with them anymore. Tony was more than generous in the settlement and it seemed like his brother took the money and left them alone.

The empty spot in the band wasn't an issue while Tony was recovering but it soon became their number one priority. It was Michelle who had actually gave Tony the idea to ask John if he wanted to return. The band he was in was doing well and he loved playing with them, but he'd be going back to the people he grew up with. John didn't take more than a few seconds to say yes. No one could argue the fact that John was the better singer, Tony the better guitar player. They were matched quite well and it gave Tony the opportunity to take it easier on stage. Everything had worked out perfect and the new band's tour schedule started in a week.

Michelle grabbed her bag and locked her car, pushing her way into the studio. With a new tour comes a new album and they had been busy recording for over a month now. She made her way down the hall, waving at the few people she met on the way. The red sign indicating if they were currently "in progress" was off so she shuffled inside quickly. Rodney McKay was sitting at the console, furiously flicking switches and sliding his chair down the long bank of knobs. McKay was the best sound man on the west coast, no matter how annoying he was. He also happened to be John's best friend.

"Hey Rodney, how's it going?" Michelle glanced through the glass dividers. Tony was adjusting some equipment inside the sound booth while Jack and Chase switched out pieces of Jack's drum set. John and a blonde woman were flipping through the pages of a document.

"They never listen to me. Isn't it my job to make sure things sound perfect? Yes? Then why don't they listen to me?" He never looked up from his controls and Michelle couldn't help but smile. He just kept going. "I've spliced in your part already. We just have to go through the vocals on this song again because Sheppard is being an ass."

A snort sounded from behind them and Michelle turned around. "Dr. Weir? What are you doing here? Is everything ok?" Michelle's gaze cut back to Tony worriedly and the other woman reached out to reassure her.

"Everything is fine. I'm not here for Tony. John...he invited me."

Michelle just blinked at her until the slow pink flush on Elizabeth's face made her catch on. "Oh! I'm sorry, I just assumed...have you ever watched a recording before?" Relief spread through her as the other woman accepted her change of subject. John was one of her best friends, but he'd never mentioned an interest in Tony's doctor before. That alone made Michelle giddy beyond words. If John kept something to himself, chances were it was very important.

Elizabeth smiled at her. "Actually no, I've never seen anything like this." They walked up closer to the glass as the band looked to be setting back up.

"Is that Laura Cadman?" Michelle looked back at Rodney.

"Yeah that's her. She's here for that movie track. The uh..." He snapped his fingers quickly. "The one with the vampires and such."

"I didn't know they were working on that one today." She turned back to the glass and spoke to Elizabeth. "You came on a good day. This song is pretty moving. John is a really good singer."

"I've been impressed with what I've seen so far. I don't have a musical bone in my body." Michelle laughed. "Everyone has been amazing. I knew who Tony was but I don't follow this kind of music closely."

"Ok ladies, time to get back to work." They both turned to glare at Rodney and he looked around timidly. "Please?"

They got comfortable in front of the divider as Rodney spoke to everyone over the intercom. "Ok we are gonna try "What Have You Done?" Let's try and get this the first time ok?"

As everyone got into place Tony noticed Michelle through the window and he smirked, giving her a small wave. She grinned and waved back, just catching John winking at Elizabeth next to her. She snuck a glance to the side and saw the pink flush again. Oh yeah, she had a lot to ask John.

"Are you all done now lovebirds? Can we get on with it?"

"Shut up Rodney." John leaned over to say something to Tony and they both laughed.

Everyone was ready. John, Tony and Laura standing in front of their microphones. Tony would only be playing the guitar and singing backup. He had wrote the song but felt it was better suited for John. It was Rodney's idea to bring in a female co-lead since it was for a movie soundtrack. The more names the better.

Tony started the intro guitar riff and John kicked off the song, Laura joining in with him half way through the first verse.

_I know I'd better stop trying_

_You know that there's no denying_

_I won't show mercy on you now_

_I know I should stop believing_

_I know that there's no retrieving_

_It's over now_

_What have you done?_

Michelle watched them all sing and it never got old. John had grabbed his mic and was practically singing with his entire body. Tony never played poorly and this was no exception. The addition of Laura's voice was pure genius. She sounded perfect blending in with the smoothness of John's vocal register. It was haunting and it would fit the movie exactly how they wanted it to.

She couldn't help but chance a look at Elizabeth. Michelle had always thought Tony's doctor was beautiful. Her hair was long, reaching just beyond her shoulders and falling in slight curls; a rich brown. Elizabeth had an air about her; elegant and graceful. The first thing Michelle had noticed were her eyes. They were a striking green color that gave the hint of piercing. They were so different from John's eyes which were soft and inviting. Just the idea of John and Elizabeth together made Michelle confused and yet at the same time, there seemed to be something there only they understood.

The song finished up and Rodney called out the all clear. The rest of the afternoon wrapped up and someone suggested they all go out.

"We can't. I'm taking Elizabeth to that new place on Clark that just opened up." John wrapped his arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and pulled her closer. As they went around the room, everyone seemed to have something to do.

Tony grabbed Michelle by the waist and pulled her into him, nuzzling her neck. "Guess it's just you and me baby."

"I've got no problem with that." She ran her nails up the back of his head and he groaned.

"Jesus Christ you people. Is there something in the water around here?" Rodney pushed his way between them all and out the door.

* * *

Tony had told her to go on ahead to the restaurant since he had offered to drop Laura off.

Michelle pulled up to the building and got out. On her way to the door, she glanced around noticing there were no cars in the parking lot. She checked the sign again and made sure she was in the right place. The door opened behind her and she turned to see Bill beaming back at her.

"Bill?" She looked around again, confused. "What's going on?"

"Why don't you come in and see for yourself?" His grin was infectious and she smiled back, even though she had no idea what was happening. She approached the door timidly and slipped past Bill.

It was dark and smoky inside and one table was set up in the middle of the room, right in front of a stage. Bill shut the door behind her and moved off somewhere she couldn't see. Turning back around she watched as John, Chase, Jack and surprisingly her Aunt Karen took up places on the stage. The lights popped on but were dim and subtle. No one said anything to her as she moved forward, coming closer to the table but not sitting. Each of them set up and waited. A lone acoustic guitar was left near the center microphone and then Tony was making his way from behind the stage to the front position. His clothes were dark; jeans and a deep blue shirt. Leaning his cane against one of the back stands, he then swung the guitar over his shoulder. Michelle opened her mouth to speak but stopped at the look in his eyes. His gaze was smoldering and she barely had enough time to blush before he started playing; Karen's violin accompanying him.

_Find Me Here_

_Speak To Me_

_I want to feel you_

_I need to hear you_

_You are the light_

_That's leading me_

_To the place where I find peace again._

_You are the strength, that keeps me walking._

_You are the hope, that keeps me trusting._

_You are the light to my soul._

_You are my purpose...you're everything._

_How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?_

Michelle lifted one hand and held onto the top of the chair nearest her for balance. The tears in her eyes were making it hard to see and she swiped at them with her other hand. Tony had never, in all the times she'd seem him perform, sang anything like this. She didn't need to ask him, she knew he'd written this for her and only her. Her hands started shaking and she couldn't help but bite her lip and touch her lips, fidgeting as he continued to sing to her, his voice soft and sensual.

_You calm the storms, and you give me rest._

_You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall._

_You steal my heart, and you take my breath away._

_Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?_

_How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?_

_And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?_

_Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?_

She could feel a crescendo coming and her breath moved with the flow of it as it all suddenly erupted and he lifted his voice, pouring out his soul to her.

_Cause you're all I want, You're all I need_

_You're everything,everything_

_You're all I want your all I need_

_You're everything, everything._

_You're all I want you're all I need._

_You're everything, everything_

_You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything._

They never took their eyes off each other and as the song came to it's slow conclusion, she started moving toward the stage. Tony slid the guitar off and stepped off the front of the stage. Everyone else, grinning uncontrollably, moved off towards the back but not out of watching distance.

Once he got close enough, Tony pulled Michelle into him smirking at her tears and wiping a few away with his thumb.

"I didn't mean to make ya cry." He pushed a few of her curls from her face. "I got somethin' I need to ask you."

Michelle held her breath as he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a ring...an _engagement _ring. The flood lights from the stage were still on and there was no mistaking the diamond. The band was a silver color and she could make out small etchings on the sides.

Tony held the ring up in the small space between them and pulled her tighter against him, dropping his head to nuzzle under her hair near her ear. "Marry me Michelle."

She let out the breath she'd been holding slowly and reached up to wrap her arms around the back of his neck, turning her face into his and answering him quietly. "Yes."


	13. Epilogue

_This is it. Wow, I didn't think I'd ever get here. Thank you everyone who has had any interest in this story. I thought for sure it wouldn't go over well and you guys proved me wrong. My ego will never be the same, heh._

Special thanks to Trinity and Bookworm for letting me bitch, moan, whine and bounce ideas.

Like I said, I have some one shots for this universe in mind so it won't be gone completely. I feel like I've created my own little world!

* * *

_7 years later_

"Gabriel Almeida! When I tell you to stop, you stop!"

Gabriel, Gabe when he wasn't getting into trouble, stopped dead in his tracks in front of the large stage his father and his band had been practicing on. He was good at pushing his parents to the limit but when his mother used _that _tone, he knew better than to continue. His dad had taught him that. "_Keep her happy hijo. Mom stays happy, we all stay happy."_

Gabe plopped down in one of the arena chairs. "I just want to show dad what we got."

Michelle tossed her bag into one of the chairs beside her son and sighed, a small smile growing on her face. Like she could really ever be mad at him when he looked up at her with Tony's, well everything. A stirring from her arms brought her attention back to the little girl who was letting her know she didn't like being ignored for her big brother. Where Gabriel was a spitting image of his father, Abigail was her mother all over. Sometimes Elizabeth teased that Michelle had gotten pregnant again just to try and get a kid that actually looked a little like her. Whether on purpose or not, it had worked.

"And what is your problem little lady?"

"I'm excited to see daddy too!" The one thing both kids most certainly got from Tony was the pout.

"We know baby. No one is saying you aren't." Michelle looked back at Gabe. "Aren't you forgetting someone? You know he can't keep up with you. I thought we talked about this."

Gabe dropped his eyes and looked away guiltily. "Sorry mom. I didn't think about it." He looked up at her from under his eyes.

Elizabeth made her way down the aisle to where they were sitting, a small boy in her arms who was squirming so much she eventually put him down. Andrew Sheppard sidled up to Gabe and plopped down next to him. It was clear the little boy was out of breath but he smiled at his best friend. "I didn't miss anything did I?"

Gabe smirked. "Just mom yelling at me. You never get yelled at."

"You can't get yelled at when you're too weak to do anything."

"I heard that!" They both laughed at Elizabeth. She turned to Michelle, shaking her head. "One of these days he's going to act like he's had a heart transplant and I can finally relax."

Michelle grinned as she watched the two boys talking animatedly. They'd almost been best friends from the womb. Gabe was about six months older and every bit as protective of his friend as he was his sister. When Andrew had gotten sick over a year ago, Michelle and Tony had practically lived at the hospital. Gabe had refused to be separated from Andrew. Now though, Gabe had trouble remembering his friend couldn't be as "energetic" as he was.

"Why hello ladies." They turned to see John making his way down the side of the stage and coming their way. "Hey there's my boys."

Andrew shot up out of his chair and ran over to his father. John bent down and lifted him over his shoulder, smacking his butt quickly. "What'd you guys do all afternoon?"

"Dad you're never gonna believe what we got! Gabe, show'm what we got!"

Gabe started flailing something in his hand wildly and Michelle started laughing. "Gabe, he can't see it if you're waving it around like that."

John grabbed the item and held it up closer so he could see it. His eyes went large. "You got Rock Band 3?! How?!"

Elizabeth walked over and took Andrew from him before he dropped their son. "We went by the game studio so Michelle could drop off some paperwork and they asked if the boys wanted to see the office. Michael, I think he said his name was, said it was finished enough for you guys to have a copy." She couldn't help but bring her hand up to try and cover a laugh as all three males yelled excitedly. Michelle wasn't the only one with two kids, not really. "You guys _do _have a song in the game. He figured it was ok to give it to you early."

"Holy crap I can't believe you got this!"

"John!"

"Can't believe they got what?" Tony had practically came out of no where in the confusion and they all jumped a bit. "What'm I missin'?"

"Check out what the boys got." John handed the game over and Tony quickly looked up at Michelle. "How the hell did ya get this?!"

"Tony!" She snatched the game out of his hands and his excitement died a little.

"What? What'd I do?"

Michelle never got a chance to complain about his language. Gabe was already practically climbing all over his dad. "They gave us a copy! We want to watch you and Uncle John battle, dad."

Tony smirked over at John at the same moment John decided to give him his own grin. "Are you kidding? I'll wipe the floor with him."

"Bring it on old man."

"I'll kick your ass easy."

"Like hell you will."

"Tony!" "John!" All males in the immediate vicinity turned towards the two women who stood with their hands on their hips. Abigail even glared back at them from her mother's arms.

Tony and John spoke at the same time. "What?!"

* * *

Michelle quietly closed the door to Abigail's room and made her way down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor. Coming to the top she could hear Tony's voice. She pushed on Gabe's door lightly, just enough to see inside. Gabe was sitting up, his covers draped across his waist and donned in his Batman pajamas. Tony sat on the edge of his bed, his guitar in his lap as they spoke.

"I know your mother talked to you about this, but you've got to remember Andrew can't run around like you can. He's got to take it easy, but he won't do that if he thinks you're gonna go off without him."

"I just forget dad. I'm not doing it on purpose." Gabe gave his father a sad look.

"Ok, none of that. Just try and work on it a little better for your old man, alright?" Tony watched him nod. "So what did ya want to hear tonight? And don't ask your mother. I've had about enough of "Puff The Magic Dragon." He grinned at Gabe as the little boy giggled. "I think you're old enough for something a little more grown up."

Gabe stuck his tongue out, a sure sign he was concentrating. Tony could tell when he had something, his whole face lit up. "Play me something your dad played for you."

Tony gave his son a sad smile but knew exactly what he was going to play. "Ok then. I think grandpa played this for me when I was just a little older than you."

Michelle leaned against the door frame as Tony's fingers gently started the intro chords.

_My mama told me when I was young_

_Said sit beside me my only son_

_And listen closely to what I say_

_And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day_

_Oh, yeah it will_

_Oh, take your time, don't live too fast_

_Troubles will come and they will pass_

_You'll find a woman and you'll find love_

_And don't forget that there is a someone up above_

_And be a simple kind of man_

_And be something you'll love and understand_

_Baby be a simple kind of man_

_Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can?_

_Then you can_

_Don't get your lust from the rich man's gold_

_All that you need now is in your soul_

_And you can do this, oh baby if you try_

_All that I want from you my son is to be satisfied_

_And be a simple kind of man_

_And be something you'll love and understand_

_Baby be a simple kind of man_

_Oh, won't you do this for me son if you can?_

_If you can_

_Oh, don't you worry, you'll find yourself_

_Follow your heart and nothing else_

_And you can do this, oh baby if you try_

_All that I want from you my son is to be satisfied_

Neither Michelle nor Gabe moved the entire time he was singing. As he was finally finishing the last chorus, she reached up and wiped at a few tears that had escaped. Tony dropped the guitar to the floor and grunted as he suddenly had an arm full of child. He closed his eyes and pulled him in tight, sliding his hand up and down his small back. "Come on kid, time for bed."

Michelle quietly made her way down the hall to their room and started getting ready for bed. She'd just slid under the covers when Tony came in, shutting the door behind him. Starting to get ready for bed himself, he cut his eyes at her. "Don't play coy with me woman. I know you were listening."

"I have no idea what you're talking about-oh!" She let out a squeak then a giggle as he pounced, bracing her arms against the bed. He hovered over her for a second, just looking at her. Michelle blushed and he dropped his head, kissing her gently at first, then more passionately. His hands moved from her wrists, down her arms to rest on her hips. Tony broke their kiss, moving his lips along her jaw to the soft spot beneath her ear. "God I love you."

She bit her lip and smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you too."

He nibbled along her neck, to her shoulder. "You know, I've been thinking."

She buried her hands in his hair, encouraging him to continue. "Yeah?"

Pulling back from her neck so he could see her eyes, he smiled widely. "We got two kids so far. How would you like to try for a full band?"


End file.
